QABALISTIC
, TAROT
t
Robert Wang
QABALISTIC
TAROT
A TEXTBOOK OF MYSTICAL PHILOSOPHY
Robert Wang
SAMUEL WEISER, INC.
York Beach, Maine
19
c' i&ixes 'A
^nnKDn •
/i,^rinc?s4j
> -X? 6 ^4
The Tarot Symbols on the Tree of Life,
Contents
PREFACE, xv
INTRODUCTION,
Modem Tarot Studies: A Nineteenth Century Legacy 1
The Search For “Truth” 5
The Golden Dawn 10
The Golden Dawn Tarot 12
The Rider -Waite Deck 13
Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot 14
Book “T” ' * ’ ’ 15
THE QABALAH
Origins of the Qabalah 20
The Sepher Yetzirah (Book of Formation) 21
Medieval Qabalism 21
The Renaissance: Hermeticism and Christian Qabalah 23
Magus to the Queen 25
Rosicrucianism 25
Later “Rosicrucians” 26
Hermetic-Qabalistic Deceptions 27
Hermetic-Qabalah and The Golden Dawn 28
The Tree of Life 29
Concepts 32
“Secret” Paths 37
Negative Limitless Light 39
The Four Worlds 39
Qabalistic Symbolism 43
The Sephiroth and Their Symbols 44
The Minor Cards 47
The Court Cards 50
PATTERNS OF THE SEPHIROTH
Kether, The Crown 53
The Aces 56
Chokmah, Wisdom 60
The Twos 63
The Kings 66
Binah, Understanding 69
The Threes 71
The Queens 74
Daath, Knowledge 77
Chesed, Mercy 78
The Fours 80
Geburah, Strength 83
The Fives 85
Tiphareth, Beauty 88
The Sixes 92
The Princes 94
Netzach, Victory 98
The Sevens 101
Hod, Splendor 103
The Eights 106
Yesod, Foundation 108
The Nines Ill
Malkuth, Kingdom 114
The Tens 117
The Princesses 120
THE MAJOR ARCANA ON THE TREE OF LIFE
Applications of the Sep her Yetzirah 125
The Matemals: Air, Water, Fire 125
The Double Letters: Planets, Localities, Days, Gateways,
Contrasts 128
The Simple Letters: Signs of the Zodiac 131
The Cube of Space 131
Numerology 135
Sets of Paths 137
The Initiatory Scheme of the Tarot 140
THE UNIVERSE, Tau 145
JUDGMENT, Shin 149
THE SUN, Resh 154
THE MOON, Qoph 158
THE STAR, Tzaddi 162
THE TOWER, Peh 166
THE DEVIL, Ayin 172
TEMPERANCE, Samekh 176
DEATH, Nun 181
THE HANGED MAN, Mem 186
JUSTICE, Lamed 190
WHEEL OF FORTUNE, Caph 195
THE HERMIT, Yod 201
STRENGTH, Teth 205
THE CHARIOT, Cheth 210
THE LOVERS, Zain 215
THE HIEROPHANT, Vau 220
THE EMPEROR, Heh 225
THE EMPRESS, Daleth 230
THE HIGH PRIESTESS, Gimel 234
THE MAGICIAN, Beth 239
THE FOOL, Aleph 245
PRACTICAL WORK
Skrying 251
Divination 252
REFERENCE
Colors on the Tree of Life 263
Colors and Sounds on the Tree of Life 264
Angels of the Decans 265
Divine Names of the Sephiroth 265
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom 266
NOTES, 267
INDEX, 279
Illustrations
Color. Plate I, The Tarot Symbols on the Tree of Life
Color Plate II, The Tree of Life in a “Solid Sphere”
Fig. 1 The Ten Holy Sephiroth on the Tree of Life 30
Fig. 2 Development of the Tree of Life diagram 31
Fig. 3 The Path of the Flaming Sword 32
Fig. 4 The Triangles of the Tree of Life 32
Fig. 5 The Pillars on the Tree of Life 33
Fig. 6 The Divisions of the Soul 36
Fig. 7 Attribution of Elements to the Pentagram 37
Fig. 8 The “Secret Paths” on the Tree of Life 38
Fig. 9 The Four Worlds 40
Fig. 10 The Four Elements 42
Fig. 11 Attribution of the Minor Arcana to the Tree of Life 45
Fig. 12 The Court Cards on the Tree of Life 46
Fig. 13 The Signs of the Zodiac in the Twelve Houses 48
Fig. 14 The Decans 49
Fig. 15 Attribution of the Minor Cards and the Court
Cards to the Zodiac 51
Fig. 16 Attribution of Planets to the Hexagram 90
Fig. 17 The Symbol of Venus on the Tree of Life 100
Fig. 18 Attribution of the Major Arcana to the Tree of Life 126
Fig. 19 Attribution of Maternal 127
Fig. 20 The Cards on the “Path of the Flaming Sword” 128
Fig. 21 Planetary attributions to the Tree of Life 130
Fig. 22 Signs of the Zodiac on the Tree of Life 132
Fig. 23 The Signs of the Zodiac on the Tree of Life as
Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable Elements 133
Fig. 24 The Cube of Space 134
Fig. 25 Cards considered as Opposites 137
Fig. 26 The Cards on the Middle Pillar 138
Fig. 27 The Paths from the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom 139
Fig. 28 Patterns of Form and Force on the Tree of Life 140
Mg. 29 Parts of the Soul 142
Fig. 30 The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil 165
Fig. 31 Levi’s Interpretation of the Wheel of Ezekiel 196
Fig. 32 Two Ways of Representing that which is encompassed
by Mercury 242
Preface
The purpose of this book is to demonstrate the relationship between the
Qabalah, a time-honored mystical system, and the Tarot. To do so is to
pointedly disagree with some very great Jewish scholars, who state that no such
relationship exists.
What I have attempted to do in this work is to integrate some of the very
complex threads of Qabalistic symbolism and interpretation, emphasizing the
relationship of the Tree of Life (primary symbol of the Qabalah) and the Tarot
as taught in the tradition of the Hermetic Qabalah. I must emphasize that I am
not writing on the Hebrew Qabalah, but on a separate and distinct system also
based on Hebrew texts. In my opinion, the Hebrew scholars have been mistaken
in their perception of late nineteenth century occult developments as merely a
romantic and misunderstood pastiche of mystical Hebrew lore.
Moreover, I have attempted to demonstrate that the principles of the
Qabalah are appropriately applied to any ordinary Tarot deck. To that end this
work reproduces four entire decks, including the Marseilles Tarot. Very little
discussion is accorded that work, chosen as a comparison with the more
symbolically concise modem decks because it is the most common and popular
of the decks crystallizing the cards’ early imagery. The Marseilles Tarot is a
“standard” deck, the other three decks used here are those related to the
nineteenth century occult fraternity, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Those decks are The Golden Dawn Tarot, The Thoth Tarot and The Rider -Waite
deck. One other deck, not shown, but which I recommend very strongly, is that
of the late Paul Case and his organization, The Builders of the Adytum. This is
a deck to be hand colored by each student.
Besides this deck, Case produced some exceptionally good Tarot
literature, to which I have devoted considerable attention. His correspondence
courses on Tarot, written more than forty years ago, are still being distributed.
And, since distribution is restricted, I must quickly note that I am in no way
xvi The Qabalistic Tarot
associated with that organization, having been provided a complete set of his
courses by sympathetic friends.
Case was a brilliant teacher who must be credited as the first to apply
the terms of modem psychology to the cards, an approach very much like that of
Carl Jung. I consider Case to be the first great modem scholar on the Tarot,
unrecognized as such generally because his major works have been available
only to corresponding students of the Builders of the Adytum, who are asked
that they be kept confidential.
I have found his ideas, which have influenced my approach, very
profound, but with reservations. I question his dogmatic reliance on Gematria
(Qabalistic numerology), as well as some of his interpretations of Waite’s
symbolism. Moreover, at the time Case was writing, our psychological language
was in a state of development, and his courses do not reflect today’s more
precise terminology. A student must “read between the lines,” considering forty
years of publications on the occult since Case wrote his courses. A great deal of
what Case did not say to his corresponding students has been published
explicitly by Regardie, Butler and others.
Such criticism does not apply to his small work entitled The Book of
Tokens, written in 1934. If there is one single book which I would recommend, it
is that collection of essays on the Hebrew letters. It is a milestone of
philosophical literature, showing the Tarot to be a key part of the Western
Mystery Tradition.
A comment might also be in order here about my frequent reference to
the works of Aleister Crowley, considered by many to be one of the twentieth
century’s great fiends, and by others to be the torchbearer of the religion of the
future. It is very difficult to be objective about Crowley, but in making the
attempt I have been impressed by the profundity of his writings on the Tarot.
His work remains instructive despite criticisms which may be leveled against
his personal behavior. I suspect that history will view Crowley as very much a
representative of the early twentieth century, a period which espoused the
aesthetic of the avant garde: What was new and shocking was better, by
definition, than what was old. This idea actually underlies all of modem art,
music and literature, not to mention the behavior patterns of the artistic elite of
London, Paris and New York during the nineteen twenties and thirties.
Crowley’s behavior fits this pattern, as does the very style of his cards, which is
essentially Cubist, the most important and avant garde of all styles of modern
art during his prime.
It is important to appreciate this conceptual difference, imbedded in the
Crowley deck versus the others. The Order of the Golden Dawn (1888-1900) was
created at a period when an idea was revered according to its antiquity. Thus
the leaders claimed that their Order’s history traced deep into the past of
mankind, and invoked the monolithic ideological structure of the Gods of Egypt.
Crowley, on the other hand, says that a new age has arrived (of which he is, not
coincidentally, the prophet). Old may be good, but new is better.
I may well be criticized for staying too close to traditional symbolic lines
in this work, particularly since the climate today is one of rather sweeping re-
Preface xvii
organization of symbol systems. A number of books have recently appeared in
which the traditional placement of Tarot cards on the Tree of Life has been
radically altered. And, frankly, there are several keys which I might assign
differently were I starting with no prior conceptions about where the cards
should be placed.
But the system, while drawing vitality from gentle modification, does
not graciously suffer radical overhaul at the hands of any single individual. It
appears intended to develop slowly, each authority incorporating some socially-
based alteration, making the discipline of greater value to the contemporary
society. A system, whether cult, religion or meditative program, is an access
pattern into the inner worlds, one agreed upon and strengthened by generations
of use. It is a path into the unknown paved with culturally-determined, though
universally applicable, symbols. And within any given school, the symbols may
be manipulated and variously applied. Certainly, I have no quarrel with those
who have virtually turned the Tree of life upside down with their combinations
and permutations of ideas. But to do so mitigates the powerful group effort
called “tradition,” and potentially creates a new Path. Expressed in another
way: It is the agreement over time on the meaning of a set of symbols which
makes a system a Path. To this end I have given only those attributions which
are now commonly accepted. This is not to imply that such attributions are
immutably correct, rather to suggest that their accepted interlock is of greater
immediate utility to the student than some of the many divergencies.
In this regard, Gareth Knight makes a profound observation. In his
Experience of the Inner Worlds he describes the workings of a group using the
Tarot cards as psychic doorways. He states that “From a formal Qabalistic
point of view it was found possible to start any Path working from virtually any
Tarot trump - which suggests that the sacrosanct and rigid application of Tarot
correspondences to the Tree of Life is of little real importance .” 1
Thus, one must always approach these materials with the attitude that
no matter how specific the system, it is only one means of approaching an inner
reality. My own style of approach involves building a solid intellectual
foundation for the ideas of each Tarot card, yet doing so with full understanding
that every tower of ideas must eventually fall, and a new tower built in its place.
Each of us builds our own Qabalah, which changes as we learn. What this
means is that we all begin with the same concepts, which we personalize and
incorporate into our own systems, so that they take on real meaning. And the
more we learn, the more we see the original concepts in a different light than
when we began.
In attempting to present a basic framework for study, I have tried to
show how concepts have been derived wherever possible. Most of all this means
a frequent repetition of the Tree of Life illustration, applying different sets of
corresponding symbols. To understand the Hermetic Qabalah means to draw
literally hundreds of Trees of Life, until the myriad interrelationships begin to
make sense. What I have done here is to provide examples of my own
manipulation of Qabalistic ideas, i.e., those ideas which when seen graphically,
have led to special insights. A work such as this can only be a record of its
xviii The Qabalistic Tarot
author’s learning process. I must add that this work focuses entirely on the
philosophy, rather than on the practical exercises involving the Tarot. Those
exercises, both meditative and ritual, have been so extensively discussed by
others that there is no need to repeat them here. Of course, I have cited the most
important books in which these procedures are to be easily found.
Let me say, finally, that this book has been extremely difficult to write,
and I doubt that it will be much easier to read, although I have done my best to
simplify abstract concepts wherever possible. The irony is that the baroque and
convoluted system of ideas called Qabalah, that impossibly complicated
intellectual exercise which is the topic of this book, leads to an inner reality of
such beauty and simplicity that it could be explained to a child. Yet it is the very
complexity of this exercise of approach that makes the inner simplicity
meaningful and comprehensible.
Robert Wang
Columbia, Maryland
1982
Introduction
MODERN TAROT STUDIES:
A NINETEENTH CENTURY LEGACY
This is a book of philosophy, of metaphysics, describing a profound system of
self-exploration imbedded in seventy-eight simple pictures known as the Tarot.
And while these cards have long been publicly associated with odd cults and
gypsy fortune tellers, they are increasingly capturing the attention of serious
students, who view the cards as a repository of a very complex system for the
development of inner knowledge.
Perhaps the inventors of the Tarot cards intended that they should be
understood as a graphic summation of the principles of the Qabalah, or perhaps
not. At least there is no written evidence to suggest this, and the great Jewish
scholar of the Qabalah, Gershom Scholem, is probably correct in his assertion
(however deprecatory) that the connection was made by late nineteenth century
English and French occultists. One way or the other, the interlock of Tarot and
Qabalah is so precise that the systems are mutually explanatory. And actually,
the likelihood that the two systems developed independently gives far greater
authority to the ideas of both because it points toward their mutual roots in
universal Truth.
Yet, a great deal of nonsense has been written about both the Tarot and
the Qabalah, the sale of a large percentage of occult literature being a tribute to
the public’s gullibility. Thus, we should be grateful for the scholarly works of the
past few decades. Scholem pioneered studies on the Jewish Qabalah, while the
western trends have been admirably researched by scholars such as Frances
Yates, D.P. Walker, Francis King and Ellic Howe. Serious research is
increasingly disabusing us of incorrect notions about the roots of modern
2 The Qabalistic Tarot
esotericism, and we should not be disturbed to see sand-castles tumbling. If a
system has inner merit it will remain unscathed. We must also appreciate that
what is known as The Mysteries has apparently, until very recently, been
transmitted through a secret oral tradition.
Despite increased public interest, surprisingly little attention has been
paid to the Tarot by academia, though the cards are a veritable gold mine of art
history and metaphysical philosophy. They should be of great interest to any
medievalist, being clearly of the same temperament which produced the
sculptural programs of the Gothic cathedrals. It is likely, also, that the cards in
some way relate to the medieval books of Emblemata and to those delightful,
and supposedly historical narratives called the Chansons de Gestes.
What the Tarot represents is an allegorical journey, each card being the
experience of something (a universal energy) along the way, rather like the
episodes in Dante’s Divine Comedy, Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress or even
Tolkein’s Trilogy of the Ring. And the idea of an adventuresome and perilous
journey through unknown territory was typical of medieval literature. The
analogy here is that to travel in the middle ages was as dangerous and difficult
as to travel the inner paths of the Mysteries. So one might agree with the monk
who in 1377 suggested that the Tarot was a mirror of fourteenth century society,
saying that the cards represented “. . . the state of the world as it is now most
excellently described and figured.” 2 Early decks show many of the Virtues and
Liberal Arts so important to the monographic programs of Gothic Humanism,
some of which remain in today’s standard Tarot keys: TEMPERANCE is
Prudence, STRENGTH is Fortitude, JUSTICE remains Justice, etc. All of these
cards are female, as the Virtues and Liberal Arts were always represented. 3
Even an Emperor was visible in the real society. That had been
especially true since 1200, when the Pope crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman
Emperor in an attempt to strengthen Christianity by aligning it with a great
secular power. And when we come to THE HIGH PRIESTESS, we find that
tradition related her to the legend of a “Female Pope,” 4 circulating at just this
time in history. The evidence for the fourteenth century origin of the cards is
convincing, and hopefully some historian of medieval art history will pick up
these fascinating threads and provide us with the real historical answers.
On the other hand a considerable number of well-trained esotericists
insist that the cards are of very ancient origin. It is likely that these individuals
are, through the Tarot, encountering the shadows of other systems which have
been used to approach the same universal energies. Such differentiation is often
extremely difficult on the inner plane, which may explain why the experiences
of so many students contradicts historical evidence. Of course, if the Tarot can
be of use to us in something so important as the development of inner
understanding, study of its origins is little more than a pleasant side trip. The
same is true for the very question of an original link between Qabalah and the
Tarot, although we are not here proposing that such a link was originally
intended between Tarot and the Hermetic Qabalah on which this present book
is based.
Introduction 3
That system, developed in Europe from the time of the Renaissance, is a
westernized Qabalah. It grew from the improbable attempts of fifteenth century
philosophers to incorporate the essence of Jewish mysticism into Christian
thought. The history of the modification of these ideas by the philosophers of
the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is particularly interesting.
But it is the nineteenth century developments which are most important for us.
During that time the Hermetic Qabalah, largely de-Christianized, reached its
fullest expression with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The leaders of
that fraternity performed the remarkable task of unifying the disparate
elements of the Western Mystery Tradition (Qabalah, Hermeticism, Astrology,
Neo-Platonism, Dee’s Enochian Magic, etc.) in such a way that it formed a
coherent method of inner exploration for the fin de si&cle temperament. There
are few modem schools of western esoteric thought which have not been
affected in some way by the developments of that group. And as one discusses
Hermetic Qabalism, one of necessity refers to the Golden Dawn as its primary
modem expression. Hermetic Qabalah and Golden Dawn must be considered
virtually synonymous.
Nor is it significant whether the esoteric tenets of this group were
handed down secretly for generations, or if they were meticulously culled from
ancient manuscripts in the British Museum. The authority of any group derives
entirely from its inner contacts. The “Secret Tradition,” “The Mysteries,” or
whatever this may be called, can be tapped into by anyone. An individual or
group becomes a part of an ancient tradition by contacting inner teachers in
that tradition, and it would certainly appear that the decks used to illustrate
this book are the result of such inner contact.
The three key decks of the modem era were all produced by members of
that fraternity: The Golden Dawn Tarot (designed by MacGregor Mathers), The
Rider -Waite Deck, designed by A.E. Waite, and the Thoth Tarot designed by
Aleister Crowley. A fourth major deck, already mentioned, is that of Paul Case
for the BOTA. His version is an excellent correction of that issued by Waite.
The Waite deck, one of the most popular ever published, seems to have
been designed with such concern for oaths of membership in the Order that it
remains entirely exoteric. It is included in the hope that those who may have
chosen to study the deck may find its (often admirable, occasionally unaccep-
table) symbolism more useful when considered from the standpoint of the
Hermetic Qabalah.
The Golden Dawn Tarot is an esoteric deck, intended for the private use
of members of the Order. Crowley’s deck is also esoteric, in that it conceals the
nineteenth century Order’s symbolism. Certainly, Crowley’s Thoth Tarot is the
most original recent contribution to Tarot studies.
Unfortunately neither Crowley nor Mathers has received appropriate
credit for their work with the Tarot. And because of their occasionally
outrageous behavior, both men have been fair game for social historians.
Moreover, their scholarly limitations have made them the butt of jokes by
meticulous researchers on the Hebrew Qabalah. But a study of any Mystery
4 The Qabalistic Tarot
Tradition, unless it be purely historical, requires that preconceived notions be
set aside, and that the system be judged solely on the merit of its efficacy. One
must use the word efficacy because that is the only valid measure of a
metaphysical system. Does it work? But how do we establish whether it works
or not? The answer to these questions is certainly not to be found through the
present methods of the sciences, or of the humanities, which are predicated on
those of science; data is collected and analyzed empirically. And since those
ideas known as “The Mysteries” do not lend themselves to this sort of attack,
being in high degree irrational, they may be denigrated even by historians.
Many knowledgeable scholars perceive late nineteenth century Hermetic
Qabalism as only a romantic and fanciful offshoot of Hebrew Qabalism,
unworthy of the sort of research devoted to esoteric Judaism. And the social
toning of the materials as “occult” adds to the wall of preconceptions and
prejudgments.
The problem arises in that to study any aspect of the Mysteries the
investigator must himself become a part of the system. He must evaluate it from
the inside, which may make it appear that he has abrogated investigative
objectivity. Today’s academicism does not allow for the acquisition of knowl-
edge through intuition and psychism, an attitude placing it in paradoxical
contradiction to a high proportion of those great thinkers whom the Humanities
study and purport to revere. In the Humanities, the universities have
deteriorated into observers of, rather than participants in, the development of
man’s creative and intellectual faculties.
A more serious problem, in terms of the cautious dissemination of occult
ideas, is that any proofs which may emerge are valid only for the investigator
himself. Carl Jung expressed this by stating that “only the psyche can know the
psyche.”
The fact is, however, that those who travel the inner paths (using any
given system) have parallel experiences. The encounter of, for example, the
energies symbolized by THE UNIVERSE card, theoretically produces the same
basic experience for everyone. It should be quickly added, however, that through
what is known as the astral level of consciousness, one functions within the
confines of a cultus. A Catholic mystic will learn the same lessons through the
symbolism of Christianity that a Qabalist learns through the symbolism of the
Tree of Life. The universal energies are actually formless, yet we perceive them
in the guise of our chosen system.
It is at the level of the Christ-Buddha-Krishna Intelligence that the unity
of all systems becomes apparent, and we are freed into pure consciousness.
Thus, in these terms, one may appreciate that when the question is asked, “Does
the system work?” it means: Is the symbolic structure of the system representa-
tive of universal truths sufficient to carry one beyond the system itself? In the
case of the Hermetic Qabalah and its practical tool, the Tarot, there can be no
doubt. This is an extremely potent system, particularly in that it may be
incorporated into any system or religion in which the student chooses to
function. Of course, no one is asked to accept this statement on face value.
Blind acceptance of anything whatsoever is contrary to the Qabalistic method.
Introduction 5
THE SEARCH FOR “TRUTH”
The chances are good that most readers of this book are disillusioned
with both organized religion and science. Neither seems to provide the insight
into our human condition demanded by an increased and world-wide sophisti-
cation. We have learned so much through the wonders of technology and
modem communications, that the explanations of our fathers appear more
placebo than panacea.
Many of those so disillusioned turn to occultism and mysticism in the
hope of finding broader meaning and truth. They do so in the essential belief
that direct knowledge of the Cosmic Order, enlightenment, is possible.
The Mystery schools teach that what we can see, touch and feel presents
us with only a relative reality. Beyond that which is considered “real” by most
people are worlds of an even greater reality, which every individual has the
capacity to explore. Enlightenment means emergence from the darkness of our
limited sense-perceptions and thought framework into a consciousness of the
greater reality. It is of that from which we are bom, and into this that we shall
return at the end of our brief life cycle.
The Qabalah is a system once traditionally claimed (prior to the work of
Scholem) to have been given to Adam by God, to have been the province of a few
chosen adepts until it became “Hellenized” by the Greeks and began to form a
sub-current of western civilization. The value of the system is that it divides the
Universe into specific categories, allowing for the establishment of correspon-
dences between all cults and religions. The Tarot cards, also, may be equated
with the major aspects of most religious systems.
Esoteric tradition, as represented by the Tarot, makes some very basic
statements about man and the nature of the Universe which is his ultimate
environment. It says that there is a perfect order which one has the capacity to
perceive, and that there is no such thing as an accident. For every movement of
every leaf on every tree there is a reason, and every movement of every thing is
inter-related. Separateness is a myth. We are all part of one great unity.
These principles have been expressed for thousands of years, and in
thousands of ways. And somehow, as expressed, they are always so simple. The
concept that All is One, and we are All has a certain poetry to it. It may strike a
deep-rooted chord and then be quickly forgotten. But there is a feeling that the
statement has merit. The words of prophets may imbue us with a strange and
momentary silence, as if our minds are straining to recall something.
Students may respond in this way to a small book from 1912, called The
Kybalion. This work involves all of the key principles of Tarot, and purports to
sum up ancient Hermeticism. The ideas here are actually the same sorts of
Gnostic thought that produced the Qabalah. Hermeticism and Qabalah both
date from the period of earliest Christianity. When we describe the Hermetic-
Qabalah we mean the later amalgam of the principles of both.
The Kybalion gives seven Hermetic Principles. 5 These are, quite
literally, a distillation of the universal principles on which the Tarot is based,
and deserve to be the subject of every student’s meditation.
6 The Qabalistic Tarot
They are:
1. The Principle of Mentalism
“The ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.”
2. The Principal of Correspondence
“As Above, so below; as below, so above.”
3. The Principle of Vibration
“Nothing rests; everything moves everything vibrates.”
4. The Principle of Polarity
“Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair
of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in
nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but
half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.”
5. The Principle of Rhythm
“Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things
rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the
measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the
left; rhythm compensates.”
6. The Principle of Cause and Effect
“Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything
happens according to Law; chance is but a name for Law not
recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing
escapes the Law.”
7. The Principle of Gender
“Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and its
Feminine Principles; gender manifests on all planes.”
The doctrine that our universe is so precisely ordered is basic to the
Tarot, as is the idea that the Tarot images accurately symbolize the very
framework of the Universe. As MacGregor Mathers stated: “I have not only
transcribed the symbolism, but have tested, studied, compared and examined it
both clairvoyantly and in other ways. The result has been to show me how
absolutely correct the symbolism of the Book T [meaning Tarot] is, and how
exactly it represents the occult forces of the universe.” 6
Eliphas L6vi described the Tarot in even more flamboyant terms: “. . .
although it is popular in a sense and may be found everywhere, this is of all
most occult and unknown, because it is the key to the rest. . . It is, in truth, a
monumental and extraordinary work, strong and simple as the architecture of
the pyramids, and consequently enduring like those- a book which is a
summary of all sciences, which can resolve all problems by its infinite
combinations, which speaks by evoking thought, it is an inspirer and moderator
of all possible conceptions, and the masterpiece perhaps of the human mind. It
is to be counted unquestionably among the great gifts bequeathed to us by
antiquity.” 7 L6vi was among the first to declare publicly that the Tarot was
more than merely a quaint device for telling fortunes, and that it was virtually
the key to all occult science.
Introduction 7
Clearly, for one to take this approach to the Tarot requires a consider-
able amount of faith. But this should be a faith which is understood to represent
merely a suspension of judgement. One who fails to exercise rational judgment,
or who accepts any esoteric principle unquestioningly, is a poor candidate for
inner development. We must engage our every capacity, and the capacity to
reason is our greatest protection against being led astray in these matters. One
might also suggest that the methods of the Hermetic Qabalah will be
particularly attractive to those who are natively intellectual, artistic, or both.
These methods are not for everyone, and to study them efficiently requires a
significant commitment. The pursuit of any specific method of spiritual
development represents a choice. And herein lies another important principle.
This principle is frequently encountered in popular literature, couched in
aphoristic terms such as “We are masters of our own destiny,” or “The Stars
impell, they do not compel.” We are, in fact, the authors of our every experience,
from the non-accident of our birth and the parents whom we choose, to the very
time and circumstances of our death. Some of the inspired religious literature of
the west hints at this idea. It is a principle which has been stated openly and
explicitly in eastern religions for thousands of years.
This is not an easy concept to accept, because it lays full credit or blame
for all that occurs in our lives squarely on our own shoulders. But this does not
imply that we are necessarily aware of the decision making process. That is the
province of the Higher Self, that spiritual part of ourselves which endures, while
the personalities molded for each successive incarnation dissipate and cease to
be (save as they represent experience assimilated by the Higher Self). The
pursuit of enlightenment is the pursuit of the “Knowledge and Conversation of
the Holy Guardian Angel,” aspect of the Higher Self. This means the
development of a conscious awareness of, and contact with, an innermost
spiritual nature which is the essence of God. The goal is a lofty one. The decision
to pursue it seriously, as well as the means of pursuit, pivotal choices. And here
one must not lose sight of the fact that whatever the chosen path, whether that
be Tarot or Yoga or Catholic mysticism, it is a means of self-exploration, and
not an end in itself. Yet as Jung points out, some people try to escape into a
system:
People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid
facing their own souls. They will practice Indian Yoga in all its
exercises, observe a strict regimen of diet, learn theosophy by heart,
or mechanically repeat mystic texts from the literature of the whole
world — all because they cannot get on with themselves and have
not the slightest faith that anything useful could ever come out of
their own souls . 8
It is a sad fact that many disturbed people are attracted to all forms of
occult work. These are people who look for an escape, but do not find it. An
unbalanced personality, unable to cope with its own earthly environment, will
8 The Qabalistic Tarot
find little solace in the Tarot or in any other facet of the Mysteries. Instead, such
persons may find esoteric research very disconcerting, as they discover
themselves required to face aspects of their personalities with which they
cannot cope, or increasingly immersed in their own fantasies and losing touch
with reality. The dawning awareness of the truth of the Universal Order is
difficult for the most balanced personality, because it involves concepts that
totally refute what most people believe themselves to be. There is a cause and
effect here, which is the reason that so many esoteric works include a warning.
Anyone can learn to manipulate the Kundalini forces of their own body, and
open the channels by which Light descends. The methods are basically very
simple, and are openly described in works such as Regardie’s Middle Pillar and
his Foundations of Practical Magic . 9 Yet if the basic preparatory work has been
ignored, or done casually, the result may be a systemic imbalance, rather than
balance and increased vitality and awareness. These dangers are one reason
that the Mysteries maintained strict secrecy for so many centuries.
Tradition states that the Mysteries maintained secrecy as a matter of
keeping sacred ideas from the profane, although we appreciate that in some
ages past secrecy has also kept the metaphysician from being burned at the
stake. But those who have been the guardians of the orally-transmitted Mystery
Tradition over the centuries, have also understood the responsibility of
conveying practical techniques to those who might misunderstand or misapply
the principles of their use . 10
Even today one could argue reasonably that the practical esoteric
techniques should be kept secret, although so much has now been published
that the point is purely moot. And the fact is that there are no real “secrets,” as
most people understand the word. Herein lies the crux of all occultism,
mysticism and esoteric religion. In fact, one important “secret” is so simple that
it can be conveyed in a single paragraph:
What is called enlightenment depends on the physical opening of
channels so that the consciousness of the personality can directly contact the
consciousness of the greater universe. What this means is a manipulation of
vibrations within the body and a subtle change in physiochemistry. It is all a
form of yoga, where one experiences what feels like an electromagnetic current
in the body. Everyone has felt this current and anyone can learn to manipulate
it. Moreover, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the school of mysticism or
occultism in which one operates. The directive “Inflame thyself with prayer
meaning to excite the inner currents of the body, is the practical essence of
Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and every legitimate form of
mystery religion or cult. To the technique of manipulation of body energies, the
Hermetic Qabalah adds a program of inner visualization. One begins by
imagining an inner scene, a tightly created and directed daydream. Soon,
however, one discovers that what is happening is not his own invention.
The Tarot is, of course, ideal for this kind of visualization, known as
Path Working or Rising on the Planes. To focus on any given Key is to turn
attention to a specific intelligent energy as anthropomorphized in a card. This
very focus of attention tends to affect an unconscious link with the energy
Introduction 9
which the card symbolizes. This is not to suggest, however, that the Tarot offers
any shortcuts, for it does not. One who chooses to study the Tarot by the
Qabalistic method must do so with discretion, sensitivity, completeness and
acceptance of a certain disciplined boredom until positive results are obtained,
which may take years. Those who make the system work do so by disciplined
attention to meditative exercises, without concern for result.
But results do come, and one begins to perceive the entire system very
differently, appreciating the fluidity with which the cards must be interpreted.
A Key may have several possible interpretations (some even apparently
contradictory), particularly when it represents a Path on the upper levels of the
Tree of Life. Thus, the values inherent in a card can never be attributed to a few
catch phrases easily memorized.
Aleister Crowley, in his Book of Thoth makes the point that what he can
say about a card may either represent a small part of its meaning, or may not
necessarily appear to make sense. Often, in that work, Crowley finds a card so
profound that he must resort to the word symbols of poetry to approach its most
serious implications.
He was also uniquely honest in his assertion, published in the
Confessions of Aleister Crowley, that he did not completely understand all of
the cards. He wrote:
The true significance of the Atus of Tahuti, or Tarot Trumps, also
awaits full understanding. I have satisfied myself that these
twenty-two cards compose a complete system of hieroglyphs,
representing the total energies of the universe. In the case of some
cards [presumably referring to his own deck] I have succeeded in
restoring the original form and giving a complete account of their
meaning. Others, however, I understand imperfectly, and of some
few I have at present obtained no more than a general idea . 11
Certainly, the Tarot offers us great potential for self-deception. We can
believe we have understood some aspect of the study, yet still be working within
a very personal and distorted framework. For this reason, it is best to refer, at
every step of the learning experience, to the time honored documents on the
subject. For the Tarot, this means the Sepher Yetzirah, a very brief work by
which we relate the Hebrew letters to the Tarot Keys. Another great work is the
source book of the Jewish Qabalah, The Zohar, a mystical commentary in many
volumes which has never been fully translated into a European language.
The greatest Qabalistic work of all is the Pentateuch of Moses, the first
five books of the Bible. The study of the first four books, in Hebrew, and on the
basis of numerology, is the essence of Jewish Qabalah.
On the surface all of this may seem unapproachably complex. But the
intellectual Qabalah, as opposed to the practical work, is easily understood by
anyone willing to consider it with the intensity and diligence that one would
apply to the learning of a new language.
10 The Qabalistic Tarot
The Qabalah is essentially artificial. It is a defining pattern imposed on
qualities which would otherwise be too impossibly fluid to grasp. By example,
one could cite the idea of periodization in history. There is, obviously, no line of
demarcation between the centuries. But to place blocks of ideas and social styles
within the brackets arbitrarily established as the eighteenth, nineteenth or
twentieth centuries is useful.
THE GOLDEN DAWN
It is no coincidence that the three most important Tarot decks of the
modem era, those of Waite, Crowley and the Golden Dawn, were produced by
members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. That fraternity, the
intellectual heir of the Renaissance Qabalists and Baroque Rosicrucians, placed
greater emphasis on the Tarot than any other group whose activities have yet
been made public. Their attitude that the Tarot synthesizes the principles of the
Hermetic Qabalah has been pivotal to modem esoteric studies.
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, particularly insofar as it
represented a social phenomenon, is best viewed against the backdrop of its own
period.
London today is a sprawling and sophisticated metropolis, a center for
international trade and communications. Even the traditional reserve of the
English themselves does not serve to mask the vitality and rapidity of life there.
London of the 1890’s was more tranquil and picturesque. One imagines streets
lined with trees and quaint shops, horse drawn carriages moving leisurely
across cobblestoned streets carrying ladies in long gowns and gentlemen in top
hats. The tranquil quality of some of London’s streets however, was in sharp
contrast to the squalor of the same city’s slums, or to the factory areas of the
emerging industrial nation ruled by Queen Victoria. This was a time and place
of great polarities.
This was the society which acted as a crucible for the ideas of the
modem Hermetic Qabalah, a society very different in tone and quality from
that which we know today. The Order of the Golden Dawn emerged during one
of the most interesting periods of modem history, the Fin de Si6cle, La Belle
Epoque. It was a time when people were beginning to assess and place in
perspective a great deal of knowledge gained in previous decades.
Many historians view the extraordinary interest in occultism at that
time as a reaction against industrialization and its concomitant materialism.
There was definitely a fear in some quarters that machine technology might
overwhelm and destroy individuality. Others tend to view the interest in
esoteric matters as the result of politically-based contact with eastern ideas,
relating to England’s involvement in India and the subsequent birth of
Theosophy. Yet, however one may choose to assess the development of
occultism in the late nineteenth century, like the other threads of the social
fabric, it represented the fruit of generations of exploration. The same may be
said, at this time, for the sciences, for politics, for industry, and for all phases of
the arts. Expressed in another way, there was more change in human lifestyle
Introduction 1 1
and philosophy at the turn of this century than at any other time in history. It
was overwhelming, it was rapid, but it did not happen overnight. An analogy
could be made with a balloon that fills with air slowly, but bursts suddenly. The
Golden Dawn was a bursting forth of pressure that had begun to build in the
Qabalistic philosophies of the Renaissance.
Those who criticize the Golden Dawn for its theatricality should
appreciate that it emerged from much the same social forces which were
producing the modern theatre, to say nothing of modem literature, modem art
and modem music. This was the age of Ibsen, of Stravinsky, of Henri Bergson
(Mrs. Mathers’ brother), of William Morris, of Oscar Wilde, of Rimbaud and
Verlaine, of Van Gogh and Gauguin.
It is in this light that the Order is best understood. What the Order did,
essentially, was to collect, focus and expand upon all of the previous experience
of the Western Mystery Tradition. The elements of the Hermetic Qabalah were
very different after undergoing the refinements and critical definitions of the
Golden Dawn.
It was in 1888 that the Order was founded under the joint leadership of
William Wynn Westcott, S.L. MacGregor Mathers and W.R. Woodman. Its
authority, as well as its claim to have descended from Christian Rosencreutz
(father of Rosicrucianism) was based on a mysterious set of “Cypher Manu-
scripts” which came into Westcott’s hands in 1887.
The story is very complicated, and made even more so by the likelihood
that at least some of the materials issued to the members by Mathers, et al., and
claimed by them to be of great antiquity, were their own invention. 12
The “Ancient Cypher Manuscripts” were (suspiciously) in English,
translated into a very simple cypher-for-letter code invented by the Abbot
Trithemius (patron of Agrippa) in the sixteenth century. These pages outline the
rituals and grade structure of an occult fraternity, and supposedly originated in
Germany. And while there is a serious question about the authenticity of these
documents, they were definitely written by one with a profound knowledge of
occult tradition.
It was, at any event, on the basis of this claimed authority that members
were solicited for the new order. They came from a wide range of pursuits and
included, by 1890, William Butler Yeats, Annie Homiman and the actress
Florence Farr. A.E. Waite was a member of the group for somewhat more than a
year. Later he rejoined but eventually wrote disparagingly of his experiences
with the fraternity.
It was in 1892 that Mathers became sole Chief, and the Second, or Inner
Order (offering the grade of Adeptus Minor) was established. Mathers was a
skillful organizer, though perhaps addicted to small deceits aimed at agrandi-
zing his own image, or adding to the lustre of the Order in the eyes of its
members. Serious problems began to appear in 1895, stemming largely from
Mathers’ autocratic leadership. While Mathers claimed to be in contact with
three “Secret Chiefs,” unseen Masters who guided the course of the Order, the
members had become increasingly reluctant to accept Mathers’ statements on
faith.
12 The Qabalistic Tarot
Aleister Crowley joined the Order in November of 1898 and was soon
apprenticed to the legendary Alan Bennett. He also earned the respect of
Mathers for his intelligence and talent for esoteric work. But the same qualities
of investigative independence, albeit genius, which so attracted Bennett and
Mathers, tended to be viewed as abrasive by other members. In 1899, after
MacGregor and Moina Mathers had moved to Paris to establish a continental
branch of the Order, the leaders of the London Temple decided to reject
Crowley’s application for membership in the Second Order. That decision led
ultimately to the final disintegration of the Order as it had been originally.
In Paris, Mathers conferred the Adeptus Minor degree on Crowley. But
this incurred the wrath of the London members, who refused to accept the
initiation as valid, and voted to expel Mathers himself from the Order.
Undaunted, Mathers proceeded to found a new group. Others, including
Crowley, eventually did the same, each claiming that his fraternity was
authentic, and in contact with the Secret Chiefs.
Thus, the teaching of the Order was disseminated around the world, as
splinter groups formed in England, America and other countries. The methods
of the Order became public knowledge between the years 1937 and 1940 when
Israel Regardie’s four volume Golden Dawn appeared. 13 This work contains
all of the Order’s significant lectures and rituals, as well as a very thorough
explanation of their underlying principles.
THE GOLDEN DAWN TAROT
There is only one known, published, reference to the origin of the Golden
Dawn Tarot. This appears in the 1945 autobiography of Irish artist and poet,
Ella Young. In the book, Flowering Dusk she describes a visit to the home of the
Mathers, having been brought there by Maud Gonne, a member of the Order.
Maud Gonne had herself been brought into the group by William Butler Yeats,
who courted her unsuccessfully for many years.
Ella Young describes having been attracted to some large illustrations
of Egyptian Gods executed in paper mosaic, and claimed by MacGregor
Mathers to have been done by him in one night.
When we are in the quiet street again, I say to Maud Gonne, “How
can he expect us to believe that he did those mosaics in one night?”
“I think it quite likely that he did.”
“But— to cut those strips of paper, sort the colours, glue them into
position: to say nothing of designing and drawing the figures - it
seems to be impossible!”
“He can do things like that. One time he made up his mind that the
society should have Tarot cards. At headquarters he took a packet
of white cards, asked a member to mark them, went into an inner
room for a little while, and came out with those marked cards. The
Tarot signs were painted on them. The cards used by the society are
Introduction 13
copied from the pack.” I had seen those cards. To produce them at
short notice “while you wait” was a feat equaling the mosaics. 14
It appears that a finished deck was painted by Mrs. Mathers, a very
accomplished artist. Her deck was subsequently lent to members of the Inner
Order who were required to copy it by hand. This was the procedure followed by
the late Golden Dawn lodge to which Israel Regardie belonged, the Stella
Matutina, although at the time preparation of a Tarot deck was optional.
Photographs of Regardie’s deck (the original having been stolen) were
the basis of the Golden Dawn Tarot, painted by Robert Wang under Regardie’s
direction, and published in 1978.
THE RIDER-WAITE DECK
In 1910 Arthur Edward Waite and the artist Pamela Colman Smith
produced what has become the most popular Tarot deck in history, generally
called the Rider Deck after his publisher, William Rider & Son. The production
of this deck is discussed by Waite in his autobiography, Shadows of Life and
Thought:
The Secret Tradition in Goetia was my first considerable work
bearing the Rider imprint, but it was preceded in 1910 by a
delightful experiment with the so-called Tarot Divinatory Cards,
otherwise denominated the Book of Thoth in the high fantasia of
my old friend Eliphas L6vi. Now, in those days there was a most
imaginative and abnormally psychic artist, named Pamela Col-
man Smith, who had drifted into the Golden Dawn and loved its
Ceremonies -as transformed by myself- without pretending or
indeed attempting to understand their sub-surface consequence. It
seemed to some of us in the circle that there was a draughtsman
among us who, under proper guidance, could produce a Tarot with
an appeal in the world of art and a suggestion of significance
beyond the Symbols which would put on them another construction
than had ever been dreamed by those who, through many
generations, had produced and used them for mere divinatory
purposes. My province was to see that the designs— especially those
of the important Trumps Major— kept that in the hiddenness
which belonged to certain Greater Mysteries, in the Paths of which
I was travelling. I am not of course intimating that the Golden
Dawn had at that time any deep understanding by inheritance of
Tarot cards; but, if I may so say, it was getting to know under my
auspices that their Symbols— or some at least among them— were
gates which opened on realms of vision beyond occult dreams. I
saw to it therefore that Pamela Colman Smith should not be
picking up casually any floating images from my own or another
14 The Qabalistic Tarot
mind. She had to be spoon-fed carefully over the Priestess Card,
over that which is called the Fool and over the Hanged Man.
... If anyone feels drawn in these days to the serious consideration
of Tarot Symbolism they will do well to select the codex of coloured
cards produced under my supervision by Miss Pamela Colman
Smith. 15
Imbedded here are two ideas which may help to explain Waite’s early
estrangement from the Order of the Golden Dawn. He suggests that he not only
“transformed” the Golden Dawn ceremonies, but that it was he who introduced
the members to the real meaning of Tarot.
Such pronouncements made him few friends, and stimulated Aleister
Crowley to publish some very vitriolic comments. One article in The Equinox
was a tongue-in-cheek obituary of the still very much alive Waite, complete with
heavy black borders on every page. The title of the article was “Dead Weight.” It
began: “It is with the deepest feeling that we record the passing over of. . .the aged
saint known on earth as Arthur Edward Waite.” The article continues with a
mock life story. “The career of Arthur Edward Waite was largely determined by
his father’s fine perception. ‘Ned, my lad,’ said he when the future saint was
barely six years of age, ‘brains are not your long suit, I can see. But it doesn’t
matter. If you can’t be wise, look wise!’ ” 16
Crowley was a bitter adversary, a thorn in Waite’s side for decades. But
Waite may actually have had the last laugh, for in his lengthy autobiography,
he has not mentioned the name of Crowley even once.
ALEISTER CROWLEY’S THOTH TAROT
The Crowley deck has had a long and complex history. Not only did it
take Lady Frieda Harris five years to paint the cards, but the completed work
remained unpublished for twenty-five years.
The first (and little known) printing was done privately by Carr Collins
and his Texas based Sangreal Foundation. This was a very poor printing, in one
color. It was not until 1969 that an American publisher of occult books arranged
for the first color edition, the actual printing being done in Hong Kong.
Undoubtedly, Lady Harris, who had insisted that only the English printer of
government postage stamps would be allowed to produce the deck, would have
been very disappointed (if not sickened) by these editions.
In 1979 the cards were finally published in an edition conforming to the
highest standards of reproduction. Yet it was not without serious obstacles that
the cards appeared. In the interim between the Sangreal and the corrected
edition, the curator of the collection of Crowley documents housed at the
Courtauld Institute in London, refused to allow the original paintings to be
photographed. The large collection of Crowleyana, donated to the Courtauld by
Gerald Yorke, had been the object of numerous thefts and the museum was
becoming increasingly cautious about allowing access to these materials. It was
Introduction 15
more than two years after negotiations began between Weiser’s and the
Courtauld, that the expertly produced Thoth Tarot finally appeared.
The project of painting the cards was begun in 1938, and was completed
in 1943, as Lady Harris described in a lecture to the Tomorrow Club which
remains the only public statement of her role in developing the deck:
In despair of arriving at any lucidity I will tell you how it happened
that I painted these cards. I was interested in the Tarot after
reading Ouspensky’s book, The Model of the Universe. I could find
very little information or research about it until I met A.C. He had
studied the cards seriously for 40 years. . . I asked him to help me
and with great patience and courtesy he did so and we tottered
along for 5 years wrestling with the accumulated mass of tradition
emanating from sources such as Freemasons, Alchemists, Rosi-
crucians, Kabalists, Magicians, Geometricians, Gematricians,
Mathematicians, Symbolists, Diviners, Numerologists, Druids,
Spiritualists, Psychologists, Philologists, Budhists [sic], Togas,
Psychoanalysts, Astrologers, even Heraldry, all of whom have left
traces on the symbols employed. From these multitudes, we
endeavoured to reinstate the cards in their original sacred, simple
forms and, in addition, indicate the New Aeon of Horus, a
terrifying apparition.
. . . The cards push me off my feet and I get into a train of thought
that can only be expressed in gasps and hiccups. . . I have never
tried to paint them with the help of automatic writing, trances,
seances, mediums, autosuggestions, drugs, absent treatment, Yoga,
meditation, mysterious masters or any other emotional approach of
inspiration.
They are the result of hard work, honest investigation and
common sense, which I believe are the true magics and were done
in the open air and sunshine of the country. 17
Lady Harris’s comments reflect the deep inner exploration necessary to
produce an occult work of this magnitude. Indeed, any artist who has painted
an entire Tarot deck would agree with one of her more frustrated comments:
“Sometimes when I am sufficiently crushed by all these meanings I say in the
words of Alice in Wonderland ‘Who cares for you. You’re nothing but a pack of
cards.’ ” 18
BOOK “T”
The Golden Dawn, Waite, and Crowley decks are agreed in their
conceptual dependance on the principles of Book T, a set of Tarot papers issued
to members of the inner lodge of the Order of the Golden Dawn. The principal
suggestion of the papers is that the key to the Tarot is the Qabalah and the Tree
16 The Qabalistic Tarot
of life. Certainly, without some basic knowledge of the symbols of the Qabalah
the modem decks illustrated here would be incomprehensible. One must also
know the Hebrew alphabet, since in its use for esoteric studies, each Hebrew
letter is a symbol, embodying a block of concepts. All that is implied by the
symbolic picture of THE FOOL is also implied by the Hebrew letter Aleph. It is
one of the peculiarities of the Mysteries that many aspects of the study are so
profound that one symbol can be explained only in terms of another, and a
student buys into the circle with the symbol which he best understands.
Book T, a complex presentation of Tarot symbols, elaborates a formula
originally given in the Cypher Manuscripts. This includes the order of Trumps
and the relationship of the Trumps to Hebrew letters. Most significant is the
extraordinary reverence accorded the Tarot. It was to be understood that Book
T, the Tarot, is the secret key not only to the Hermetic Qabalah, but to all of
western esotericism.
The Book begins : 19
HRU
THE GREAT ANGEL
is
Set over the operations of the Secret Wisdom.
“What thou seest write in a Book, and send it unto the Seven
Abodes that are in Assiah.”
“And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat upon the
Throne a book sealed with Seven Seals.” “And I saw a strong
Angel proclaiming with a loud voice. ‘Who is worthy to open
the Books and to loose the seals thereof?’ ”
The passage with which Book T is prefaced certainly represents the
attitude of the Order toward its Tarot deck. The lines are from The Revelation of
Saint John the Divine, chapter five. The Saint, having risen into the Celestial
Realm, is shown a scroll, and is told that none on the earth is worthy to open it.
The Lamb of God, however, having sacrificed his blood for mankind is deemed
worthy.
The suggestion is that the Tarot is the book spoken of in Revelation, and
is the key to the universe. Of course, it is not the Tarot deck, per se, that
constitutes what is called Book T. The implication, rather, is that the key to the
Cosmos is our perception of the underlying pattern of which the Tarot deck is
an external symbol.
But this “Book,” or set of universal patterns, is open to no man of this
Earth. It can be opened only by the Lamb of God, who is Christ-Buddha-Osiris
in this context. Only those who have been initiated into the Christ-center of the
Qabalah ( Tiphareth ) can fully understand the Tarot. Here the initiation of
Tiphareth may be understood as a “sacrifice of man’s blood” in that it involves
a losing of the personality-self as it has been previously known.
Moreover, we find that it is the Book T described in the Rosicrucian
documents as having been found in the hand of Christian Rosencreutz when his
Introduction 17
body was discovered perfectly preserved in the Vault. The Order of the Golden
Dawn claimed a direct line of descent from Rosencreutz, and apparently wanted
to suggest that they were in possession of the greatest secret of the original
Rosicrucians. One must therefore conclude that the Order viewed the Tarot as
the symbolic receptable of its primary and most secret teaching.
The member received information on Tarot (as well as almost every-
thing else of importance) after having passed through the initiation for the
grade of Adeptus Minor. This grade related to Tiphareth, the center of Christ
and other sacrificed Gods. Thus, it was not until the member assumed the
nature of the Lamb of God (even being symbolically crucified in the ritual) that
he was deemed worthy of opening the seals on the Scroll of Revelation, Book T,
The Tarot, or whatever the patterns of the Cosmos might be called. What is
important is not the books themselves, but our ability to read them. That is the
breaking of the seals.
The Qabalah
As understood today, the word Qabalah means a tradition or that which is
received. It also means a very specific system of metaphysics. Butin the ancient
world “Qabalah” had a more general meaning, that of The Law. It could mean
an oral law or it could be the law of Moses in the first five books of the Bible, The
Torah (called the Pentateuch in Greek). It was not until the twelfth century that
the term assumed today’s precise meaning . 20
There are two separate schools of Qabalah, that of Judaism and that
which is the product of Italian Renaissance thought, termed the Hermetic
Qabalah. A difficulty may arise here in that in any form of Qabalism God
names are those of the Old Testament, Hebrew is the essential language and the
primary texts are those of the Jewish tradition. Nevertheless, while Jewish and
Hermetic Qabalah refer to the same literary sources, there are striking
differences in both textual interpretation and practical work.
The most significant difference has to do with pictorial representation.
Mosaic law forbids showing the human form: “It is likewise forbidden to draw a
picture of a man, even only the face of a man. . . However, only a full face is
forbidden, that is, when it has two eyes and a nose, but a profile is not
forbidden .” 21 Idolatry of any sort was a sacrilege, which may explain the
reluctance of some Jewish scholars to use even the Tree of Life in their
publications . 22 But more important, when a Christian mystic or Hermetic
Qabalist will produce a pictorial vision as a “stepping off’ point for inner
exploration, the Jewish mystic seeks a direct experience of pure consciousness.
There are, of course, myriad other differences between Jewish and
Hermetic Qabalahs, not the least of which is the way in which the Divine
Names are applied. All of these differences are best understood in terms of the
historical development of western occultism. It was around the second century
A.D. that the Western Mystery Tradition began to emerge, although presum-
ably based on elements handed down from a very ancient, and secret, oral
tradition.
20 The Qabalistic Tarot
ORIGINS OF THE QABALAH
A great many Qabalistic works, even today, make the claim that the
Qabalah was a body of esoteric knowledge given to Moses on Mount Sinai, thus
linking it to the very inception of Jewish Law. The suggestion is that God
dictated the five hooks of the Bible to Moses, and then provided a secret key for
their interpretation.
Another tradition (popularized in the fifteenth century) and the one
taught by the Golden Dawn to its members, stated that the Qabalah was first
provided by angels to Adam, as the means of return after the Fall. MacGregor
Mathers quoted from Christian Ginsburg in his introduction to The Kabbalah
Unveiled:
The Kabbaah was first taught by God himself to a select company
of angels, who formed a theosophic school in Paradise. After the
Fall the angels most graciously communicated this heavenly
doctrine to the disobedient child of earth, to furnish the protoplasts
with the means of returning to their pristine nobility and felicity.
From Adam it passed over to Noah, and then to Abraham, the
friend of God, who emigrated with it to Egypt, where the patriarch
allowed a portion of this mysterious doctrine to ooze out. It was in
this way that the Egyptians obtained some knowledge of it, and the
other Eastern nations could introduce it into their philosophical
systems. Moses, who was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, was
first initiated into the Qabalah in the land of his birth, but became
most proficient in it during his wanderings in the wilderness when
he not only devoted to it the leisure hours of the whole forty years,
but received lessons in it from one of the angels. By the aid of this
mysterious science the law-giver was enabled to solve the difficul-
ties which arose during his management of the Israelites, in spite of
the pilgrimages, wars, and frequent miseries of the nation. He
covertly laid down the principles of this secret doctrine in the first
four books of the Pentateuch, but withheld them from Deutero-
nomy . 23
It is perhaps sad, but this charming story bears no relationship to
historical fact, the Qabalah having emerged as the result of a long and complex
developmental sequence beginning with Merkabah Mysticism.
Merkabah, meaning “chariot,” was the earliest form of Jewish mysti-
cism, preceding the Qabalah . 24 The Chariot was that which carried the Throne
of God as described by the Prophet Ezekiel, the Throne World, to which the
Jewish Mystic aspired being the counterpart of the early Mysteries of
Hermeticism and Christian Gnosticism . 25 The second century witnessed the
merger of a great many trends, and Scholem states flatly that: “The Kabbalah
in its historical significance, can be defined as the product of the interpenetra-
tion of Jewish Gnosticism and neoplatonism .” 26
The Qabalah 21
In the late-Roman/early-Christian period were found Christian Gnosti-
cism, Jewish Gnosticism, Neo-Platonism, Neo-Pythagoreanism, Hermeticism
(pseudo-Egyptian religion) and many obscure cults, all interpenetrating in
subtle ways. Jewish mysticism of this time is discussed by Scholem in his
pioneering study, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, while the Christian
developments have been chronicled, in a readable way, by Elaine Pagels in The
Gnostic Gospels.
These scholars trace the actual sources of ideas, disputed for genera-
tions, which are the basis of the modem Hermetic Qabalah. What is important
to recognize is that one need not invoke the smoke screen of “secret oral
tradition” in most aspects of the Mysteries. The majority of those who have
contributed to the Qabalah have been very explicit about their work and its
sources. There is very little in any modem system for which historical precedent
cannot be found.
THE SEPHER YETZIRAH (BOOK OF FORMATION)
This book of six very brief chapters, dating from some time between the
third and the sixth centuries A.D., is the cornerstone of Qabalistic literature,
and the document in which the word Sephiroth first appears. It is a work which
describes the creation of the universe in terms of the letters of the Hebrew
alphabet, and in terms of symbolic number undoubtedly related to neo-
Pythagoreanism . The Sepher Yetzirah is apparently a summation of earlier
ideas in Jewish mysticism, similar in form to Gnosticism and the Pistis Sophia.
The precise origin and intention of the Sepher Yetzirah is a matter of
speculation. One writer of the early nineteen hundreds, with all good intentions,
even suggested that this mystical text was no more than a book of grammar and
“as the earliest Hebrew grammar contains not only the fundamental rules of
Hebrew orthography, but also an account of the origin of letters and
numerals .” 27 Of course, this theory is not to be taken seriously, but it does
demonstrate the extremes of interpretation to which Qabalistic documents have
been subjected. On the other hand, The Sepher Yetzirah is a very difficult and
obtuse work, so abstract that it demands an approach atypical of that taken to
most literature. And, when used in concert with the Tarot, the work becomes
remarkably comprehensible.
Ideally, the Sepher Yetzirah should be read in the original Hebrew, but a
number of translations have been made into English. It should also be noted
that a later document entitled the Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom is usually
included with the Sepher Yetzirah . 28
MEDIEVAL QABALISM
The Sepher Yetzirah set the stage for much later Jewish mysticism by
amalgamating various mystical currents into a Jewish context. Called the
“earliest extant Hebrew text of systematic, speculative thought ,” 29 its ideas
were built upon by later scholars. For example, where the very word Sephiroth
22 The Qabalistic Tarot
was originally used to mean simply numbers or numerical stages in creation, in
the middle ages that word came to mean a specific system of Divine
emanation. 30
One of the most important ideas to be added by late medieval scholars
was that numerological links could be found between words (and thus between
concepts) using Gematria. The introduction of Gematria served two purposes.
First, it helped to assure that scribes would spell names precisely as received;
second, it tended to serve as an incentive for serious meditation on the Names.
Sometime between 1150 and 1200, in Southern France, another very
important Qabalist work appeared. This was the Sepher -ha-Bahir, supposedly
an ancient work, but more likely edited from several works of either German or
eastern origin. 31 The Bahir contains the first reference to a “secret Tree,” and is
the first to describe the Sephiroth as the vessels of Divine Light. An English
translation of the work, by Aryeh Kaplan, has recently been published. 32
The thirteenth century was especially pivotal for the Jewish Qabalah. It
was during this time that Isaac the Blind, a scholar from Narbonne, wrote his
comments on the Sepher Yetzirah, first describing it as involving a systematic
development of Sephiroth. He also built upon some of the ideas expressed in the
Bahir, 33 as did others in his day. The result of study of the Sepher Yetzirah in
terms of the Bahir was that scholars began to discuss the Ten Sephiroth and the
Thirty-two Paths together.
Another major idea, appearing at this time in France and Spain, was
that there were evil Sephiroth existing as exact counterparts to the Good. 34 This
concept was extensively developed by some of the adepts of the Golden Dawn
Fraternity.
It was in this climate of mystical-intellectual fruition that the greatest of
all Qabalist treatises appeared. The Zohar was the work of Moses de Leon,
between 1280 and 1286. 35 It is a series of commentaries on the Bible and on
mystical cosmology.
For generations The Zohar was believed to be an ancient work. The text
itself purports to have been written by a second century rabbi, Simeon ben
Yohai. Moreover, The Zohar is written primarily in ancient Aramaic, a
language which is the root of both Hebrew and Arabic. Presumably, Moses de
Leon felt that his work would be taken more seriously if attributed to an ancient
author. He was probably correct, for The Zohar quickly assumed major
proportions as the document of Jewish mysticism. It should be added that
between approximately 1500 and 1800 the Qabalah was widely considered to be
the true essence of Jewish theology, 36 rather than the curiosity that it is today
among Jews.
Unfortunately, The Zohar has never been translated completely into a
European language. The five volume English set by Maurice Simon and Harry
Sperling 37 is competent, but represents only about 35% of the work. The
translators chose to eliminate those parts which they believed to be later
additions, or unduly obscure. Three of those omitted texts are, however, to be
found in The Kabbalah Unveiled 38 translated from Knorr von Rosenroth’s latin
Kabbalah Denudata of 1677, and which includes a brilliant introduction by
The Qabalah 23
MacGregor Mathers. The texts in question are among the most difficult of The
Zohar. They are: The Book of Concealed Mystery, The Greater Holy Assembly
and The Lesser Holy Assembly.
There is only one complete translation into a modem language and that
is Hebrew. The twenty-one volume translation and commentary, by the late
Yehuda Ashlag is described by Scholem as “an extremely literal translation
(but not without many textual misunderstandings).” 39
THE RENAISSANCE:
HERMETICISM AND CHRISTIAN QABALAH
The key to the modem Hermetic Qabalah is the Renaissance mind
which blended Jewish Qabalah and Hermetic mysteries. During this period of
intense intellectual activity, philosophers encountered previously hidden cur-
rents of Jewish mysticism, and attempted to adapt these ideas to a Christian
framework. It was even asserted that through the Qabalah one could most
effectively prove the divinity of Christ.
The Renaissance was a time when man considered himself the jewel in a
universal crown. He was the “measure of all things,” rather than the lowly
sinner atoning for the Fall as had been insisted by medieval dogma. Thus,
intellectual and creative activity, a constant questioning of principles, came to
be of greater importance than the institutionalized values of the past. In more
basic terms, one can say that what had been a church dominated society
became secularized. The beliefs and feelings of the medieval period were
supplanted by the call for a more rational overview of the human condition. The
society was nominally Christian, but theologians and philosphers had a very
free hand.
This freedom to doubt and explore some of the most basic principles of
Christianity reached its high point at the Medici Academy in Florence. In fact,
virtually all modem occultism can be traced back to the developments of
scholars in that time and place.
The Medici were a family of immense wealth, ruling Florence from the
fifteenth century until 1737. Their primary contribution was as patrons of the
arts, a program begun by Cosimo, the first of the great Medici, and continued by
Lorenzo “the Magnificent,” patron to Leonardo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli.
Cosimo de Medici was the founder of the Platonic Academy, dedicated to
the study of Greek philosophy, and a center of Neo-Platonic ideas. This was an
open “think tank,” much like today’s Institute for Advanced Studies at
Princeton University.
Cosimo was a passionate collector of manuscripts and when in 1460 a
Greek manuscript of the Hermetica came to him from Macedonia, he judged it to
be of unique importance. The reputation of Hermes Trismegistus’ work as
providing a key to all knowledge was so considerable that Cosimo instructed
Marsilio Ficino, director of his Academy, to put aside Plato’s Republic and
Symposium and translate the Hermetica first. 40
24 The Qabalistic Tarot
Early Renaissance philosophers believed that in these documents they
had the core ideas of the most ancient Egyptian religion, which would lead them
to the very source of illumination. 41 Their awestruck approach, and belief in the
utter integrity of these papers, was the foundation of Renaissance magic and a
whole school of neo-Platonism. It was these ideas which preceded the Qabalistic
philosophy soon after flowing into the Medici Academy.
What is known as the Christian Qabalah was also a development of the
Medici Academy, and the primary accomplishment of Pico della Mirandola, one
of the court’s intellectual luminaries. It was Pico who had the major Qabalistic
texts translated into Latin. And it was Pico who, in his 72 Qabalistic
Conclusions (part of his 900 theses) made the claim that “no science can better
convince us of the divinity of Jesus Christ than magic and the Kabbalah.” 42
Pico’s fourteenth Qabalistic principle stated that adding the Hebrew letter B
(shin) to the Divine name fnn> (yod, heh, vau, heh), and producing
mtyn’ Jeheshua, Hebrew name of Jesus, made it possible to pronounce the
unpronounceable name of God. And, from the standpoint of the modem
Hermetic Qabalah and the Golden Dawn, this is of special significance.
Perhaps the most important single principle emphasized by today’s Hermetic
Qabalah is that all things are four elements activated by a fifth, which is Spirit.
Yod is Fire, Heh is Water, Vau is Air, Heh final is Earth and Shin is Spirit.
Pico inspired the work of Johannes Reuchlin, the first non-Jew ever to
write books on the Qabalah. His premise was that the history of mankind is
based on three periods. In the first period God revealed himself to the Jewish
patriarchs through the three-fold name ’“tuj , Shaddai. The second period was
that of Moses and the Talmud, when God appeared as the four-lettered name
( Tetragramaton ) mn» . Finally, came the period of man’s redemption
through Christ, when God revealed himself as the five-lettered Jeheshua.
Thus Pico della Mirandola and Johannes Reuchlin became the founders
of the philosophical aspects of Christian Qabalism. The first practical work of
their school was produced by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, whose De Occult
Philosophia of 1531 was widely read. 43 It is, however, Agrippa who is
responsible for the very negative association of Qabalah with witchcraft and
sorcery, a belief held by many even today.
All of these literary works had been stimulated by social developments
in the west. Much of the intellectual current of the fifteenth century can be
traced to the conquest of the Byzantine Empire by the Turks in 1453, and the
subsequent migration of Greek scholars to Italy. A similar trend occurred in
1492 when the Jews were expelled from Spain and many Jewish scholars also
settled in Italy, moving onto ground prepared for them by Pico with his theses of
1486.
There was widespread interest in Hebrew mysticism by the end of the
century, and advocates of the Christian Qabalah included important Catholic
prelates and theologians who viewed the Qabalah as a vehicle for the
intellectual renewal of the faith. Thus the Christian Qabalah, merged with
elements of Hermeticism, came to be the primary occult current of the Italian
Renaissance. 44
The Qabalah 25
The Renaissance attitude toward the Hermetic sciences was jolted
sharply approximately one hundred years later when Isaac Casaubon declared
the Hermetica an early Christian forgery rather than an ancient Egyptian
document. He stated that the books were written by a Christian or semi-
Christian in an attempt to make these doctrines acceptable, to gentiles. 45
Casaubon’s work brought about a significant decline of interest in magic, a
generally acceptable Renaissance pursuit until his revelations. Today it is
understood that the Hermetic documents are not specific forgeries, but that they
were produced even later than Causaubon believed.
Despite Causubon’s overwhelming evidence, some writers, including
Robert Fludd and Athanasius Kircher, chose to ignore historical reality, and
continued to declare the Hermetic fragments the work of an ancient Egyptian
adept named Hermes Trismegistus. 46
MAGUS TO THE QUEEN
The next important figure we encounter is Dr. John Dee (1527-1608), the
great Elizabethan philosopher who, with Edward Kelly, developed the system of
Enochian Magic later expanded by MacGregor Mathers. Dee shared the ideas of
men such as Pico della Mirandola and Agrippa, and could be considered their
English counterpart. Moreover, like the Italian metaphysicians, he enjoyed the
protection of the royal court, being an advisor and confident to Queen
Elizabeth. 47
Dee produced two works of major importance in the history of occultism.
The first was his Hieroglyphic Monad, an obtuse treatise of spiritual alchemy
and mathematics. The second was his True and Faithful Relation in which he
records his work with Edward Kelly as they are “given” the Enochian system
by spirits. This is a surprisingly fresh and interesting book despite its
ponderous seventeenth century style, and includes such gems as the decision of
the two researchers to exchange wives.
Both works were important to the development of the modem Hermetic
Qabalah. The Hieroglyphic Monad provided the philosophical foundation for
the ideas of Johann Valentine Andrae, author of at least one of the Rosicrucian
allegories (to which the Golden Dawn traced its beginnings). And the ideas of
the True and Faithful Relation were tremendously expanded by Mathers, who
went so far as to develop an Enochian chess set. This latter is virtually
unknown, but is deeply linked with the Tarot, and is considered by some to be
the most potent divinatory device ever invented. Mathers used Egyptian God
forms on four boards derived from the tablets illustrated by Dee, thus
incorporating Hermetic ideas (probably through Fludd) into Dee’s system.
ROSICRU Cl ANISM
Rosicrucianism, developed in Bohemia in the early seventeenth century,
appears to be the direct result of John Dee’s travels through Germany in 1589. 48
26 The Qabalistic Tarot
There are three key works of Rosicrucian philosophy. The first of these
works is the Fama Fraternitas written in German, and originally published
(though circulating in manuscript for perhaps four years earlier) in 1614. The
Fama Fraternitas or A Discovery of the Fraternity of the Most Noble Order of
the Rose Cross, tells the story of a mysterious Christian Rosencreutz and his
fraternity, dedicated to healing the sick. The text particularly describes the
discovery of Christian Rosencreutz’s tomb, the vault which was the inspiration
for the sanctum sanctorum used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
(Paul Foster Case had such a vault painted for his BOTA, and many others
may still exist today). The legend states that his body was found perfectly
preserved, holding the Book ‘T,’ which has been symbolically connected with
the Tarot. 49
A second work, expanding on the Fama Fraternitas, appeared two years
later in 1616. This was the Confessio Fraternitas or The Confession of the
Laudable Fraternity of the Most Honorable Order of the Rosy Cross, Written to
all the Learned of Europe. Unlike the Fama, which appeared in the vernacular
German, the Confessio is in latin, and clearly aimed at a more intellectual
reader. Also, unlike the Fama, it is quite boring.
The author of these two works is unknown. However a third major work,
closely connected with the Fama and the Confessio was written by Johann
Valentine Andrae. A cloud has long covered the Chemical Wedding of 1616 due
to Andrae’s later claim that this work of his youth was only a joke. Confusion
may arise in that the text is unquestionably a serious and enlightened religious
tract. As Rudolph Steiner wrote on his essay on the Chemical Wedding:
“Anyone who knows what the human soul experiences when it has opened the
gates into the spiritual world, need only read a few pages of the Chemical
Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz of the Year 1459 to recognize that the
descriptions given in this book are based upon genuine spiritual experience.” 50
Frances Yates tries to clear up the mystery with a few words. She notes
that in discussing his work, Andrae used the latin word ludibrium, which means
a mockery or a sport. He spoke of “the ludibrium of the vain Fama,” or the
“ludibrium of the fictitious Rosicrucian Fraternity.” But Yates proposes that in
the seventeenth century the word could also mean a play, or a comic fiction, and
that Andrae was suggesting that Rosicricianism was theatrical in a positive
and educational sense. 51
Our intention here is not to inundate the reader with the weighty
theorums of literary research, only to make clear the controversy which
surrounds so many of the occult documents which have contributed to the
system of Hermetic Qabalah.
LATER “ROSICRUCIANS”
Robert Fludd, as we have mentioned, was one of those who insisted on
promulgating the Renaissance idea of Hermes Trismegistus as ancient
Egyptian adept (another was the German Michael Maier). Fludd significantly
furthered the idea that an actual Rosicrucian brotherhood existed, and seems to
have believed it himself, though admitting that he had never actually met a
The Qabalah 27
Rosicrucian. 52 Fludd combined Hermeticism and Qabalism in the light of the
Rosicrucian manifestoes and the developments of John Dee. He is therefore, one
of the major precursers of Mathers and the modem Hermetic Qabalah.
HERMETIC-QABALISTIC DECEPTIONS
The question of purposeful deception about the origins of many esoteric
manuscripts is a serious and difficult one, usually judiciously avoided by writers
on the occult who wish to cast their beliefs in the most positive light. But the
tally of literature for which antiquity is falsely claimed is so great that the very
consistency of such claims becomes intriguing:
The Hermetica, written by a Greek and widely dated (third century to
the Renaissance) by scholars, hut believed to be the original documents
of ancient Egyptian religion.
The Zohar, purported to be the work of a rabbi in the early Christian
period, yet actually by a thirteenth century writer whose claim of
antiquity for it gave the books greater importance.
The Rosicrucian Manifestoes, an invention of Johann Valentine Andrae
and others. Neither a Christian Rosencreutz nor the mysterious
Rosicrucians ever existed.
The '“Ancient Cypher Manuscripts” of the Golden Dawn, a fragmen-
tary system of supposedly ancient rituals, but an unquestionable
forgery. 53
To this list one might certainly add some of Blavatsky’s work including
the infamous Mahatma Letters and perhaps the Stanzas ofDyzan on which she
based her massive work, The Secret Doctrine.
In all such cases of fakery, deception, or whatever it may be called, we
find authors under pressure of the public’s essential belief that the more
traditional a work, the more valid it is. On the other hand, every one of those
works which we have listed here as having fraudulent origins claimed for it,
stands on its own as enlightened. These are the inspired works of men and
women who have known.
Manifestations of the psychology involved occurs repeatedly in all
aspects of the study of the Mysteries, even with Paul Foster Case. When the
Book of Tokens appeared in 1934, Case prefaced it saying: “We do not know the
name of the author. Internal evidence in the text suggests that he may have
been one of the later Qabalists. Perhaps he knew the Tarot, perhaps not.” 54
Today, Case’s organization publishes the Book of Tokens as Case’s own work,
responding to inquiries about the discrepency in attribution of authorship that
Case was a very modest man. But if history is any indicator, it is more likely
that Case felt that the work of some anonymous “later Qabalist” would be
received more positively than a work of his own.
The point we are trying to make here is that rather than running from
the obvious fact that the Hermetic Qabalah is based on many fabricated claims,
28 The Qabalistic Tarot
history should be faced directly. In fact, the very fabrications are a pattern
which, ironically, tends to point us toward the inner legitimacy of the works.
Those who remain unconvinced that a work of spurious pedigree might
have great spiritual worth should look very closely at the history of Christiani-
ty, as well as that peculiar amalgam of heterogeneous texts, the Bible.
HERMETIC QABALAH AND THE GOLDEN DAWN
In view of the evidence that Rosicrucianism, though high spiritual
allegory, was a seventeenth century myth, the Golden Dawn “history lesson”
incorporated into its Adeptus Minor ritual of initiation is interesting. It begins:
“Know, then, O Aspirant, that the Mysteries of the Rose and the Cross have
existed from time immemorial, and that the Rites were practiced, and the
Wisdom taught, in Egypt, Eleusis, Samothrace, Persia, Chaldea and India, and
in far more ancient lands.” 55 The ceremony continues to directly paraphrase the
description of the life of Christian Rosencreutz in the Fama Fraternitas.
It is probable that most of the members of the Order believed that
Christian Rosencreutz had been an actual person, and that the Golden Dawn
was in a direct line from his fraternity. Whether Mathers and Westcott under-
stood the real history is another matter entirely. 56 There are many instances of
both having accepted traditional misattributions of mystical literature. Westcott
for example, wrote an introduction to The Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster,
describing them as embodying “many of the principle features of Chaldean
philosophy.” 57 We know that the Oracles were actually writen by Julianus, a
contemporary of Marcus Aurelius, 58 but the conclusions about authorship on
many such works is quite recent.
What is most important, however, is that we are able to uncover so many
of the Order’s historical tracks. Thus, its leaders are understood to have built
carefully on a known traditional framework. The Hermetic Qabalah today
bears the marks of Westcott and Mathers. Even the spelling of the Hebrew word
Qabalah (as opposed to “Kabbalah,” or “Cabala”), was chosen by Mathers as
being more consistent with the original language ( blp ). And the Qabalistic
correspondences found in Aleister Crowley’s 777 appear to be based largely on
Mathers’ work. It is with the Order of the Golden Dawn that the modem system
of Path colors on the Tree of Life (see following section) and other attributions
first appear. The Order developed an elaborate system of teaching based on
ritual, although the extent to which the well-known Banishing Rituals may be
theirs is uncertain. At least such rituals are not found in Agrippa, Barrett or
other magical treatises prior to the Golden Dawn. Here again, the ways in
which an oral tradition may have been involved cannot be determined.
Historical evidence notwithstanding, the story of Christian Rosencreutz
unquestionably taps into some secret tradition. It certainly relates to the same
Universal patterns symbolized by the Tarot.
The “Hermetic” emphasis of the Golden Dawn on the Egyptian Gods
was partly social, and partly traditional. In late nineteenth century England
The Qabalah 29
there was great curiousity about anything mysterious and obscure, the science
of archaeology being still in its infancy (in 1900, for example, no Greek art prior
to the Parthenon was known!). Emphasis on the Egyptian Gods served to
separate the participants in ritual from the daily routines of Victorian life. It
also effected a separation from Christianity. The Hermetic Order of the Golden
Dawn affirmed the pure Renaissance Hermeticism of Ficino.
Philosophically, the system of Egyptian Gods is very comfortably
equated with the Qabalah. Despite the apparent proliferation of Gods and
Goddesses, Egyptian religion was monotheistic. All of the Gods were aspects or
modifications of one ultimate and original deity. Moreover, like the Qabalah,
the Egyptian pantheon shows different aspects of the same God under different
circumstances. For example, there are many forms of Horus, all of which have
the name Heru imbedded in its Egyptian name, such as “Horus the Child,” or
“Blind Horus (Horus at the Head of Sightlessness)” or “Horus of the two
Horizons,” whom the Greeks called Harmachis as opposed to Harpocrates.
Horus is Child who is the center of our known Universe in the Qabalah,
and to whom we refer in a variety of ways. And as the Child appears in a variety
of ways, so do the Great Father and the Great Mother. All of this was clearly
understood by the Golden Dawn, who found considerable utility in the
Egyptian system of Gods. These Gods express universal relationships better
than any other Pantheon. Today, however, the Order’s dependence on Egyptian
Gods is viewed by many students as only a curiosity of the past.
THE TREE OF LIFE
The Tree of Life (Figure 1) is intended to symbolize the entire universe, a
proposition so vast in its implications that some may doubt that such a symbol
is even possible. It is a deceptively simple diagram composed of ten spheres
called Sephiroth, and twenty-two connecting lines called Paths. Collectively,
the Sephiroth and Paths are called the Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom.
The Ten Sephiroth are:
1. KETHER, itiD The Crown
2. CHOKMAH, nnon Wisdom
3. BINAH, ru’n Understanding
Between Binah and the next Sephira is an invisible Sephira known as
Daath, or Knowledge. It is not represented on the Tree, because it is a bridge,
built by each individual across the Abyss existing between the upper Sephiroth
and those below.
4. CHESED, Ton Mercy
5. GEBURAH, nTlTA Severity
6. TIPHARETH, mKati Beauty
7. NETZACH, nm Victory
8. HOD, Tin Splendor
9. YESOD, T10’ Foundation
10. MALKUTH, moi?n Kingdom
30 The Qabalistic Tarot
AIN
AIN SOPH
AIN SOPH AUR
Figure 1. The Ten Holy Sephiroth on the Tree of life
The Tree of Life, used by modem Hermetic-Qabalists, was first
published in Kircher’s Oedipus Aegypticus in 1652 (Figure 2A). And while this
Tree must have undergone a lengthy development, its historical roots appear
buried in the secret past of Mystery religions. Moreover, a general develop-
mental sequence is difficult to establish as Jewish Qabalists espoused different
forms of the Tree.
The Qabalah 3]
The first reference to a “Secret Tree” is in the Bahir, appearing in France
around 1200. If, however, one were to draw a Tree on the basis of that text, only
eight of the ten Sephiroth, Binah through Malkuth, would be included, since the
Tree is stated to grow as it is watered by Wisdom (Chokmah). Something of the
amorphous spirit of that first Tree is found in the diagram published by Robert
Fludd in 1617 (Figure 2B). Yet is is curious to find that a glyph of one hundred
years earlier (Figure 2C) is far more conceptually developed and sophisticated.
Moreover, we find that a Jewish illustration from as late as 1708 (Figure 2D)
takes a different approach, indicating its dependence on the Sepher Yetzirah.
A B
1652 1617
C
1517
D
1708
Figure 2. Development of the Tree of Life diagram. A) Form of the Tree in Kircher’s
Oedipus Aegypticus, 1652. B) Adapated from Robert Fludd, Complete Works, 1617. C)
Illustration from Porta Lucis, Ausburg, 1516. D) Illustration from Pa’amon ue Rimmon,
1708.
The most that can be said with certainty is that the Tree of Life has
evolved over the centuries, following ever increasing public interest and, not
coincidentally, reflecting the perspectives of contemporary philosophy. The full-
color two-dimensional Tree of Life (Plate I) is the most developed expression of
the nineteenth century Hermetic-Qabalah. If the evolutionary pattern con-
tinues, it is likely that the three dimensional Tree of Life (Plate II) is the form
under which the Hermetic Qabalah will be considered in generations to come.
That Tree embodies in its pillars, the principle of five: four balanced elements,
infused with a fifth element which is Spirit.
32 The Qabalistic Tarot
CONCEPTS
The Qabalah teaches that our universe evolved organically and
sequentially, following the Path of the Flaming Sword (Figure 3). From a
mysterious Unmanifest emerged Kether then Chokmah then Binah. These
three formed the Supernal Triangle, a spiritual height bridged by the invisible
Sephira, Daath. Chesed, Geburah and Tiphareth formed the Ethical Triangle.
Finally, with Netzach, Hod and Yesod, the Astral Triangle (Figure 4) was
created. Malkuth, it will be seen, stands alone at the base of the Tree,
conspicuously removed from the rest, particularly when Daath is imagined at
the upper point opposite Yesod. It is the recipient of the influences of all the
other Sephiroth, containing the reflected perfection of Kether, while at the same
time being the product of what is described as the Fall.
Figure 3. The Path of Figure 4. The Triangles
the Flaming Sword of the Tree of Life
The Qabalah 33
The Tree of Life is divided into three Pillars (Figure 5). The Sephiroth on
the right side are on the Pillar of Mercy, those on the left, the Pillar of Severity
and those at the center, the Middle Pillar. Each Sephira is perfectly balanced by
its opposite. Moreover, each Path is the perfect balance between the two
Sephiroth which it connects, and of the Path opposite it.
(The Middle Pillar)
MILDNESS
Figure 5. The Pillars on the Tree of Life
34 The Qabalistic Tarot
This glyph is a compound symbol which may be considered at two
levels: It is the individual, the Microcosm (God in miniature) and the
Macrocosm, the Greater Universe in the image of which the individual is
created. Each Sephira is related to some part of the human body, and with a
corresponding part of a greater Divine Body. The principle involved is
expressed by the axiom which we will often repeat, “As above, so below.”
There are a number of areas of traditional Qabalah which may be
somewhat confusing, but which are actually very simple. One of these areas is
the application of “man” to the Tree, and involves two separate concepts. The
first concept is that of ADAM KADMON (“The Grand Old Man of the Zohar”).
Adam Kadmon is all ten Sephiroth, a great organic unity, a spiritual body in
which each of us might be considered a single cell carrying all of the potential
attributes of the whole.
Adam Kadmon should not be confused with ARIKH ANPIN or ZAUER
ANPIN, the other two personifications covering more than one Sephira. Arikh
Anpin means the Vast Face or Countenance; Zauer Ampin means the Lesser
Face or Countenance. Arik Anpin is Macroprosopus an anthropomorphization
of the Sephiroth of the Supernal Triangle. Zauer Anpin is Microprosopus, the
five Sephiroth around Tiphareth. Together they illustrate the principle of “As
above, so below.”
To reiterate, Adam Kadmon means the whole Tree of Life pictured as a
man. Arikh Anpin is the man above; Zauer Anpin is the man below.
The idea of each part of the human body having some Divine correlate is
perhaps more readily comprehensible to an Easterner than a Westerner. The
Yogin has no difficulty dealing with the concept of certain centers of spiritual
activity within the physical body. The Solar Plexus is the sun center in man, a
link between the individual and the solar powers of the universe. The physical
center has the potential to be ennervated, consciousness transferred to it, and
the individual brought into direct contact with the pure energy which is, in the
Qabalistic system, called Tiphareth.
An important part of practical work with the Hermetic Qabalah
involves the exercise of the Middle Pillar , 59 where the energies of the Sephiroth
are purposely invoked and built up within the individual. In this exercise the
Sephiroth are reversed, i.e., Chesed is at the left shoulder, and Geburah is at the
right, since they are considered subjectively within the body rather than being
viewed from outside.
Practical work on the Tree also involves traveling the Paths connecting
the Sephiroth, the objective centers of energy. The Paths are the subjective
experience of passing from one Sephiroth to the next. But insofar as there is a
constant flow and motion within the universe, there is a constant flow as energy
passes down from one Sephira to another and up again. The universe is like a
gigantic circuit, where power flows into Kether from the Unmanifest, down
through the Tree and up again. There is a continual renewal of energy. Thus,
when viewed from another frame of reference, the Paths may be considered
objective. They are subjective for us, yet they are objective in that they carry a
constant flow of energy of such specificity as to be expressable as the Major
The Qabalah 35
Arcana of the Tarot. In other words, we can study the Tree of Life intellectually,
or build it in ourseves. We can approach the Tarot cards symbolizing the Paths
from within or without.
When the cards are used individually for astral projection, they are
graphic and subjective symbols of that which is experienced on the Paths
between the Sephiroth. Here they might also be described as that which is
required to pass from one Sephiroth to the next. They define stages of personal
development. On the other hand, when the Trumps appear in a divination, they
are viewed from without, and are objective forces affecting the question. A large
number of these Trumps, appearing in a spread, shows forces entirely beyond
the control of the Querent.
“Path working,” particularly when it involves the Tarot cards, has a
high degree of mystery and romance attached to it (as does all astral projection),
but the experiences are very practical. To be of any use, the inner lessons must
be applied to our every day lives.
The whole process of spiritual development involves a bringing into
balance of the component parts of the personality, so that it may function in
conscious cooperation with the Higher Self. But when this process is described
by the Mystery Schools in terms of the Four Elements, Fire, Water, Air and
Earth, it may sound remote and mysterious. It is not. We grow by learning
perfect control over ourselves within our chosen environment, to the point that
we are no longer at the mercy of that environment. This is a spiritual suicide
mission for the personality, and for the whole concept of “self as it exists
within an incarnation. This is a process which is natural to everyone, but which
is accelerated by focusing attention on it.
The Tree of Life imposes a defining pattern on qualities of the
personality and work of personal development which is already in progress.
Thus, one feels affinities or antagonisms toward certain Tarot cards, depending
upon the extent to which their lessons have already been learned. By purposely
studying and using the Paths, we take hold of our own spiritual learning
process, forcing attention to many important Paths which we might otherwise
choose to avoid.
The fact that the Qabalah demands attention to all parts of a given
whole, makes it an ideal system for intentionally affecting spiritual growth. It
demonstrates that we exist in a rational and graded system. It suggests where
we come from and where we go. There is none of the vaguery of other systems.
And, as the symbolic parts of the human body are related to the Tree, so are the
various aspects of the Soul (Figure 6). We go from the lowest aspect of
manifestation to the highest, the Yechidah of Kether, the Primal Point to which
we aspire.
All major religions teach that it is our heritage to return to some Primal
Point from which we evolved. This is expressed as “heaven,” or “nirvana,” or
whatever is the ultimate happy state promised by the faith. But of all the
metaphysical systems available in the west, only the Qabalah suggests the
extent to which we progress through a natural course of development, as if
through a school, moving from one grade to another.
36 The Qabalistic Tarot
Figure 6. The Divisions of the Soul. Note here that the Neschamah of Binah defines the
entire Supernal Triangle, in the same way that Binah’s planet, Saturn, is also taken to
mean the three upper Sephiroth.
The scheme shown here is that taught by the Golden Dawn. Later writers such as
Fortune and Case perceived a problem in that the “animal instincts” given to Malkuth
were better related to Yesod. Ruach, i.e. Microprosopus, Lesser Countenance, was divided
into Upper and Lower, Higher Self and Personality.
In the Order of the Golden Dawn, the members were graded according to
the highest Sephira to which they had been ritually advanced. 0=0 meant that
the candidate was initiated into basic membership; 1=10 meant that he had
taken the first initiation of the tenth Sephira, Malkuth and the spiritual
Element of Earth; 2=9 signified initiation into Yesod, the ninth Sephira and the
The Qabalah 37
realm of Air; 3=8 meant the initiation of Hod and the Element of Water; 4=7
meant initiation into Netzach and Fire.
These four ritual steps symbolized the introduction of the candidate into
the Mysteries of matter. Theoretically, each new initiation meant control over
one of the key aspects of the Personality.
5=6 was the initiation into the Inner Order, and the Mysteries of
Tiphareth. This also heralded the true enlightenment of the seeker.
These initiatory rituals demonstrate the process by which the Higher
Consciousness unfolds, and may be related to the very symbol of mankind, the
Pentagram (Figure 7). The four lower arms are the balanced forces of the
Elements. The topmost point is the Spirit functioning through the Elements.
It should not, of course, be supposed that an initiatory ritual always
brings a miraculous change in the individual. The real changes are the result of
a sacrament within, stimulated by the sacrament without. And it might be safe
to assume that very few members of the Order of the Golden Dawn were really
adepts in the true sense of the word.
SPIRIT
AIR
EARTH
FIRE-
Figure 7. Attribution of Elements to the Pentagram
“SECRET” PATHS
The idea of Paths which are “secret,” or “hidden” seems to have been
introduced (or at least popularized) by Paul Case. 60 There is no evidence of the
Golden Dawn having schematized any Paths other than the traditional thirty-
two. Actually, the Secret Paths are nothing more than the connection of every
Sephira with every other Sephira (Figure 8), suggesting that it is possible to
move directly from any form of consciousness to any other. This theory is a
mitigation of the idea implied in the usual Tree of Life diagram, that we must
pass through one Sephira before we encounter another.
38 The Qabalistic Tarot
Figure 8. These Paths connect each Sephira to each other. Tiphareth already has a
traditional Path to every Sephira except Malkuth. A) The “Secret” Paths on the Tree of
Life. B) The Unicursal Hexagram derived from the Tree.
The concept of Secret Paths definitely expands the possibilities of the
Tree. It also allows us to see certain relationships which would not be obvious
otherwise, such as the derivation of the Unicursal Hexagram from the Tree
itself. This figure was first published by Aleister Crowley, who undoubtedly
derived it in this way. In a Tree of Life drawn by Crowley, and published in the
1955 Neptune Press edition of 777, we discover that Crowley has shown all of
the additional lines between Sephiroth required to make that figure.
The Qabalah 39
NEGATIVE LIMITLESS LIGHT
Qabalistic teachers repeatedly stress that the Tree of Life represents our
manifest universe. This emphasis is placed to express the idea that behind even
the most exalted aspects of our universe lies an Unmanifest, which is the
ultimate source of all, and which cannot be known to us. The Unmanifest is
symbolized by the words Negative Limitless Light, or in Hebrew Ain Soph Aur.
It is shown on the Tree of Life, above Kether, as three curves of radiating light.
The outer curve is Ain, the middle Ain Soph, and the innermost Ain Soph Aur.
These are understood to be veils separating the outpouring of our universe from
That from which it emerged. From behind these veils energy flows constantly
down to us through Kether.
While there are points of reference to all aspects of the Tree of Life in the
Tarot, no such reference is made to the Ain Soph Aur. The Tarot, whose letters
are frequently transposed to form the word Rota, shows the Wheel of the
Manifest Universe.
THE FOUR WORLDS
The Qabalah describes the universe as divided into four separate
“Worlds,” (Figure 9), each of which is represented by one letter of the Divine
Name, or Tetragrammaton ( mrp ). The first is Atziluth, the Archetypal
World, the world of Pure Spirit which activates all of the other worlds which
evolve from it. Here are attributed the Gods of the Sephiroth, and the letter Yod,
Primal Fire. The second world is Briah, the Creative World, the level of pure
intellect, of the Archangels and of Heh, Primal Water. The third is Yetzirah,
called the Formative World because here are found the subtle and fleeting
patterns behind matter. It is the realm of angels and of Primal Air, symbolized
by the letter Vau. The final World is Assiah, the active world containing both
the physical world of sensation and the unseen energies of matter. It is the
realm of the Cherubim, the final Heh of the Divine Name and Primal Earth.
Each of these worlds generated the energies beneath it, with the
universe becoming increasingly dense as it evolved from nothingness to matter.
The Unmanifest produced the Kether of Atziluth, and following the Path of the
Flaming Sword sequentially, from Sephira to Sephira, from one world to the
next, completion was reached in the Malkuth of Assiah, creating forty
Sephiroth in all.
Purists, those who insist that the earlier ideas on the Qabalah are more
legitimate than those of more recent Qabalists, tend to espouse a one Tree
attribution (compare the methods in Figure 9). However, this is an excellent
example of the ways in which the Qabalah has grown as a descriptive system
over the centuries. The four Tree attribution is the best for Tarot interpretation.
Four color scales, one for each world, are accepted by the Hermetic
Qabalah: The King, Queen, Emperor and Empress, answering respectively to
the sequence of the Worlds and the Tetragrammaton. The notion of color is
40 The Qabalistic Tarot
(A) (B)
Figure 9. The Four Worlds. A) Scheme of separate Trees. B) Attribution to a single Tree.
pivotal to the study of Tarot, and painting the Four Worlds in their appropriate
colors will provide special insights about the cards. The Golden Dawn Tarot, as
published, includes the traditional Tree of Life used for practical work. Here are
shown the colors of the Atziluth Paths, and the Sephiroth colors of Briah. There
must always be a balance of masculine and feminine in representation
involving the Tree, and this is accomplished by combining the two scales in one
glyph.
The Qabalah 41
In our discussion of the Four Worlds we have chosen the term Primal to
describe Fire, Water, Air and Earth symbolized by the letters of the Tetra-
grammaton in the Four Worlds, in an effort to distinguish these energies from
other forms of Elements described on the Tree. But in each individual World
(Yod) Fire is also attributed to Chokmah, (Heh) Water to Binah, (Vau) Air to
Tiphareth and (Heh Final) Earth to Malkuth. We propose to describe these
subdivisions of the Primal Elements as Specific Elements. Thus, in Atziluth,
Primal Fire, are four such Specific Elements: a Fire (Specific) of Fire (Primal), A
Water (Specific) of Fire (Primal), an Air (Specific) of Fire (Primal), and an Earth
(Specific) of Fire (Primal). In Briah, the World of Primal Water, there is a Fire of
Water, a Water of Water, an Air of Water and an Earth of Water. The pattern
follows through Yetzirah and Assiah, and is the basis for attributing the Court
Cards to the Tarot. For example, the entire suit of Wands describes Atziluth, the
Archetypal World. Wands, therefore are Primal Fire, the Primal Yod. This
Primal Fire is divided into four aspects, personified by the Tarot: The King of
Wands, related to Chokmah in Atziluth, is Fire of Fire. The Queen of Wands,
related to Binah in Atziluth, is Water of Fire. The Prince of Wands, related to
Tiphareth in Atziluth, is Ar of Fire. And the Princess of Wands, related to
Malkuth in Atziluth, is Earth of Fire.
There is also an important tertiary application of the Elements, found on
the Paths where different Hebrew letters, called Maternals by the Sepher
Yetzirah, are applied. Since all other letters and energies are derived from these
three Maternals, the Elements attributed to them will be called Transitional
Elements. THE FOOL is the letter Aleph and Ar. But this is not the same as
that which is represented overall by Vau of Briah (Primal Ar) or the Vau of
Tiphareth (Specific Ar). The Elements of the Paths are Transitional in that
they are in a constant state of flow between two Sephiroth.
Having subjected the reader to a bombardment of terms, the suggestion
that there are yet three more types of Elements may be less than welcome.
However, this is an area of Qabalistic studies which has not been generally
explored, and which is a source of constant confusion. Let us quickly consider
the other types of Elements, and then attempt to reach some coherent overview
of them all.
The Elements, the fourfold division found throughout the Tree of Life,
are rooted in Kether. Here they are undefined and unexpressed, and are
Primordial Elements. Another application of the term Elements is made to the
four lower Sephiroth, Fire to Netzach, Water to Hod, Ar to Yesod and Earth to
Malkuth. These are Astral Elements. Finally, in Malkuth, are the Base
Elements which are the ultimate expressions of those first found in Kether in
their primordial state. In every single application of this fluid term Element, the
formula of the Yod Heh Vau Heh applies. Wherever Yod appears it has fiery
outgoing qualities; wherever Heh appears it has enclosing and fluid qualities of
Water; wherever Vau appears it is the airy result of the combination of the Yod
and Heh; wherever Heh Final appears, it is the solidified end result of the
actions of the Yod Heh and Vau. This pattern is really the only thing to
remember, since it is applied to a variety of very different qualities.
42 The Qabalistic Tarot
PRIMORDIAL
ELEMENTS
BASE
ELEMENTS
SPECIFIC
ELEMENTS
ASTRAL
ELEMENTS
TRANSITIONAL
ELEMENTS
(N) Air
( Q) Water
(B) Fire
Figure 10. The Four Elements ( ill fl’ ) as they describe various aspects of the Tree of
Life. Left: The Four Worlds. Right: The Elements as applied to any single Tree. While
m,T> relates to the Sephiroth, N , D and B relate to Paths.
The Qabalah 43
To reiterate those terms which may be applied to the so-called Elements
(Figure 10):
1) PRIMORDIAL ELEMENTS. Found in Kether. Undifferentiated
potential.
2) PRIMAL ELEMENTS. The Yod Heh Vau Heh applied to the Four
Worlds.
3) TRANSITIONAL ELEMENTS. The Yod, Heh and Vau which are
Matemals on the Paths of the Tree of Life.
4) SPECIFIC ELEMENTS. The Yod Heh Vau Heh as applied to
Chokmah, Binah, Tiphareth and Malkuth in any of the Four Worlds.
5) ASTRAL ELEMENTS. The Yod Heh Vau Heh applied to the four
Lower Sephiroth.
6) BASE ELEMENTS. Found in Malkuth, blended. The ultimate
expression of the outpouring of the universe into matter. Taken
together, the base elements are a subdivision of Astral Earth.
This is an admittedly complicated scheme, but it is presented to
underscore the fact that different types of energies are symbolized by the Fire,
Water, Air, Earth scheme on the Tree of Life. The Yod of Atziluth is not
commensurate with the Yod applied to the Path of Shin, or Yod applied to a
sequence begun in Netzach. Yet these are all described by the word “Fire.”
Again, what is really important is the sequence represented by the Tetra-
grammaton. We might arbitrarily say, for example, that Apple is Fire, Orange is
Water, Pear is Air and Lemon is Earth. In this case we would be applying a
formula to describe a relationship between Apple, Orange, Pear and Lemon. If,
then, the same underlying pattern is found beneath Swing, Chair, Sofa and
Footstool, it should not be supposed that because both Apple and Swing begin
the sequence they are exactly equivalent. A decription of different energies in
the same way seems to be a trap set by the early Qabalists.
QABALISTIC SYMBOLISM
A symbol is of value in that it suggests something which cannot be
adequately expressed in language (although language is itself a form of
symbolism). More important, however, is that while on our plane of existence
symbols are abstractions, they are realities on other planes. In the astral realms
a symbol can be a powerful device for attracting or for repelling spiritual
entities. It can be a call or a protection, in that it affirms the power of a deity
governing a particular form and level of energy. When used in this way, a
symbol could be defined in the same terms as a talisman on our own plane: it is
essentially “charged with the force which it is intended to represent.”
There is a vast complex of symbols attached to the Sephiroth and Paths.
For example, Kether may be described mathematically as The Point, in that it is
44 The Qabalistic Tarot
the First Emanation. As Chokmah emerges from Kether a Line is formed, and
with the development of Binah there is a Triangle. And so, one may progress
down the Tree applying geometric figures according, to the number of the
Sephiroth. Chesed is a Square, Geburah a Pentagram, Tiphareth a Hexagram,
etc. These are the most basic and in some respects the most profound of the
symbols attached to the Tree. The most complicated symbols are the Hebrew
letters and the Divine Names written in those letters.
Some may have an intuitive grasp of the extent to which the Hebrew
Alphabet is more than just letters. Many years ago the artist Ben Shahn
published a book called Love and Joy About Letters, in which he described his
own feeling toward that alphabet as a child: “I loved to draw and contemplate
the big flowing letters; I was most at home with them and could make them long
before I could do anything else with my hands. It was such a pleasure to copy
them from the prayer-book because in each letter there was some subtle part of
the others, and as one learned to make the new ones he discovered those
familiar parts that he already knew.” 62
A Hebrew letter, taken by itself, or in conjunction with others as it forms
a God Name, is as much a symbol as a geometric figure (letters and words are
often visualized in practical work). To each Hebrew letter is assigned a number,
and words have special meaning according to numbers derived by what is
known as Qabalistic Addition (to be discussed later). Suffice it to say here that
insofar as Hebrew letters are assigned to each of the Trump Cards, those cards
may even be used to pictorially spell Divine Names, and give insight into the
nature of the deity. This exercise serves to demonstrate the extent to which the
Qabalistic system is composed of precisely interrelated parts.
One important point which must be made has to do with the constant
use of color in the Hermetic Qabalah. Most people consider color symbolic, but it
is not. Colors are the actual forces, not merely symbols of those forces. The same
may be said for pure tone.
THE SEPHIROTH AND THEIR SYMBOLS
In the Tarot, the Sephiroth are represented by the ten numbered cards of
each suit (Figure 11) and by the Court Cards which are placed on the Sephiroth
according to the principle of the Min’ . Any Ace pertains to Kether, any two
to Chokmah, any three to Binah, etc. The Court cards, as we have indicated, are
placed with the Kings (’)in Chokmah, the Queens(n)in Binah, the Knights ("0 in
Tiphareth and the Princesses (n) in Malkuth. Actually, however, the Court Cards
relate to the entire Tree, and not just selected Sephiroth (Figure 12).
The Hebrew alphabet is based on the form of the letter Yod CO. This
refers to the idea that the entire universe derives from that which is symbolized
by the Yod. Yod ultimately relates to Kether, an idea which Mathers suggests as
Yod I. But it is not until the formation of the Sephira Chokmah that what we
understand as the outpouring Yod force of the universe, the Fiery masculine
energy, is separated out and activated. Thus, for practical purposes, the Yod is
The Qabalah 45
Figure 11. Attribution of the Minor Arcana to the Tree of Life
attributed to Chokmah, and the Heh, the watery feminine principle, is
attributed to Binah. Vau is referred to Tiphareth, but it actually encompasses
all of the Sephiroth under the Supernal Triangle, except Malkuth, i.e., those six
Sephiroth to which Tiphareth is central, Geburah, Chesed, Netzach, Hod and
Yesod. And when the hidden Sephira, Daath, is considered, a perfect circle is
formed around Tiphareth.
By this point it should be obvious that applying the Tarot to the
Qabalistic Tree of Life involves some difficult stretches of language, but the
effort to understand these attributions will be well rewarded. While one may feel
frustrated, if not inundated, by all of these definitions, it is important to realize
46 The Qabalistic Tarot
Figure 12. The Court Cards on the Tree of Life
that definition is what the Qabalah is all about. It is a very clear and precise
system, verbal smokescreens of the early Qabalists notwithstanding.
Insofar as the numbered and Court Cards of the Sephiroth are called the
Minor Arcana (Arcana means secret), they may appear to be of less importance
than the Major Arcana or Trump cards. They are, however, of the greatest
significance in that they symbolize the real potencies in ourselves and in the
universe, with which we strive to come into conscious contact.
If the Suits (Sephiroth) appear subordinate to the Trumps (Paths), it is
for two reasons. First, the Tarot is a teaching device intended to assist in the
subjective journey of consciousness from one objective center of energy to
The Tree of Life in Three Dimensions (“In a Solid Sphere”).
The Qabalah 47
another. It may be the chariot which carries us down the road from one inner city
to the next. Thus the Paths, while ultimately less important than the Sephiroth,
are the primary focus of the Tarot deck. Second, as the cards are used for
divination, they describe forces in transition which have brought about past
events, function in the present, and have the potential to create future events.
This might best be understood by considering the idea that we are all in a
continual state of travelling the Paths. It is an unconscious process for most, but
a conscious one for those pursuing the Mysteries. Moreover, we are uncon-
sciously travelling many Paths at the same “moment.” Our limiting concepts
of time, space and form do not apply.
As has been previously suggested, the choice of consciously travelling
the Paths, one by one, has the effect of speeding up what would otherwise be a
normal course of development. It also has the effect of speeding up the course of
karmic action, so that one who becomes involved with the Tarot for the purpose
of learning about himself and his universe, may suffer some serious personal
problems at the onset. The reason for this is that a number of karmic debts are
paid off at once and the “board cleared” of some major impediments to
understanding.
The Tarot is best used for divination about mundane matters. It is not
particularly well-suited for furnishing answers of an important spiritual nature
because it is rooted in Yetzirah, although one brings down insight from higher
worlds in interpretation.
THE MINOR CARDS
The Aces relate to the Primordial Elements found in Kether, and the
very root of the fnn>. As Crowley stated, “The point to remember is that,
both in their appearance and in their meaning, the Aces are not the elements
themselves but the seeds of those elements.” When the Tree of Life is projected
into a solid sphere, they are placed at the North Pole, above the Princesses,
which are called the “Thrones” of the Aces. The Golden Dawn taught that the
Aces govern the revolution of the Universe, and act as a link between Yetzirah,
the Formative World, and our material plane.
Casual readers of the original Golden Dawn documents on Tarot may be
confused by the order in which the cards, numbered two through ten, are
presented. Unlike other systems, which describe these cards in a simple
numerical sequence, the Golden Dawn described them in terms of the Decans of
the Zodiac. This was an astrological scheme developed by Ptolemy in ancient
Egypt.
The Zodiac, a flat disc (360°), is divided into 36 sections of 10° each.
Thus, each of the twelve houses of the Zodiac has three Decans, and each Decan
is a minor card of the Tarot. These same divisions are days of the year, so that
each individual may be assigned one of the Minor cards on the basis of birth
data.
48 The Qabalistic Tarot
The primary symbolism of the Zodiac is of Houses, and Planets. The
Houses are simply 30° divisions of the Zodiac, each of which has one of the
twelve Signs naturally attached to it (Fig. 13). Aries is the first House, Taurus
the second House, Gemini the third, etc. So, each Sign has three Decans, each
ruled by a different planet. The activity of a Planet in a Sign is so specific as to
be illustrated as a Tarot card.
r ARIES
« TAURUS
n GEMINI
o® CANCER
ft LEO
VIRGO
= LIBRA
"1 SCORPIO
t SAGITTARIUS
^ CAPRICORN
“ AQUARIUS
M PISCES
Figure 13. The Signs of the Zodiac in the Twelve Houses
Another confusing element is that the Decans begin, not with the first
Sign, Aries, but with Leo. The first degree of Leo related to the star Regulus,
sometimes called Cor Leonis (“The Royal King Star of the Heart of the Lion”).
The Golden Dawn taught that the commencement of the Zodiac at 0° Aries was
arbitrary, and returned to the very ancient system where the Zodiac begins at 0°
Leo. Thus, the first of the Decans is the FIVE OF WANDS, a dynamic, fiery
card.
Moreover, the system of only seven Planets (referred to as the “Old
Planets”) was developed before the discovery of Neptune, Uranus and Pluto,
and considered the Moon, itself, a Planet. This latter idea may be dismissed as
representing the ignorance of ancient science. But in terms of the profound and
subtle influence exerted by the Moon on our Earth, it is an appropriate
description. Planets are attributed to the Decans in a sequence repeated five
times: 1) Mars, 2) The Sun, 3) Venus, 4) Mercury, 5) The Moon, 6) Saturn, 7)
Jupiter. Yet there is one difficulty. To quote from the Book T: “There being only
36 Decanates and only seven Planets, it follows that one of the latter must rule
over one more decanate than the others. This is the Planet Mars which is
allotted the last Decan of Pisces and first of Aries, because the long cold of the
winter requires a great energy to overcome it and initiate spring.” Figure 14
shows the Minor cards as they relate to these astrological configurations.
The Qabalah 49
<f MARS
® SUN
9 VENUS
$ MERCURY
J MOON
h SATURN
2J. JUPITER
Figure 14. The Decans, subdivisions of the Signs of the Zodiac. Outermost ring: the
small cards of the Tarot applied to the Decans; Intermediate ring: Planets applied to the
Decans, rulership of the small cards,
The Minor cards carry two interchangeable sets of symbolism. They
represent Planets in the Signs of the Zodiac; they also represent aspects of
individual Sephiroth in the Four Worlds.
To each Minor Card and Decan is attributed a pair of angels, one of
whom rules the day and the other the night. So each card represents a duality.
Here again we return to the idea that the cards are rooted in Yetzirah, the world
of Angels, as opposed to the Archangels of Briah or the Gods of Atziluth. The
cards are Astral images, illustrating the world of matter below, and symboli-
cally reflecting the worlds of mind and spirit above. For example, the TWO OF
WANDS relates to Chokmah in Atziluth, as does the KING OF WANDS. But
neither card is precisely the same as the Chokmah in Atziluth upon which one
calls with the God Name Ja. The TWO OF WANDS may be said to represent the
effect in Yetzirah of the power of Chokmah in Atziluth, as the KING OF
WANDS personifies the action of Fire of Fire in Yetzirah. Yetzirah is the
Formative World through which higher principles pass down into our lives. It is
a world of images reflected from above and below, which explains why the Tarot
works so well for divination.
No doubt many will be completely lost at this point. But the Qabalah
involves a necessarily complex shuffling of words. The more deeply one goes
into the definitions, sub-definitions, super-definitions, pluperfect and platitu-
50 The Qabalistic Tarot
dinal definitions, the more one is touching on areas where no words can apply.
The very effort to find meaning in this maze of ideas is important because it is
an expression of commitment. The greatest protection of the Mysteries today,
the methods of which have been published openly, is that the early intellectual
and meditational exercises are inordinately boring. Few will ever be so serious
about the Qabalah as to wade devotedly through its sea of convoluted words.
Most will give up quickly, a point thrown here as a gauntlet for those who enjoy
real challenges.
Having said this, a further complication will be added, which is the fact
that each of the forty Sephiroth of the Four Worlds contains a complete Tree of
Life of its own, so that there are actually four hundred Sephiroth in all.
Finally, relative to the Minor Cards, it should be understood that the two
angels of each numbered card are specific to that card, and the administration
of its specific energies. If one were to skry with one of these cards, which is
perfectly legitimate, one would first invoke the protection and guidance of the
God and Archangel of the related Sephira, then the Angels.
THE COURT CARDS
MacGregor Mathers described the Court Cards as being not on the
Sephiroth, but beside them. Here he apparently intended to suggest that these
cards are not purely integral to the Sephiroth, but are extensions of their
qualities. The Court Cards represent the Elemental powers of the Tetra-
grammaton, mrp , in the Four Worlds. They personify the attributes of the
Specific Elements (refer again to Figure 10) and, as such, generally represent
real people when they appear in a divination. Where this is not the case, they
mean an event or situation having a certain personality. It may also be said
that the Court Cards represent decision, on our own part or on the part of others.
It is the decision of individuals (or the result of situations brought about by
individual decision) which bring into effect the blind forces represented by the
cards of the Tarot numbered two through ten. So that when a Court Card comes
up in a divination, it suggests a human controlling factor. The Trumps usually
represent karmic forces also manipulative of the numbered minor cards. To
reiterate: In divination the Court Cards are the choices of men, the Trumps are
the choices of the Gods (although at a more complex level, these are our own
choices, too) and the small cards are the forces brought into play. Of course any
card of the deck may be a clear reference to an individual.
Like the Minor Cards, the Court Cards may also be referred to the
Zodiac. The Kings, Queens and Princes stand behind the Decans, while the
Princesses are said to “link together the Signs.” The Aces through Tens and the
Court Cards may be placed on a composite diagram (Figure 15), but this scheme
is a simplistic attempt to show relationships which are actually three-
dimensional, and refer to the Earth and its two magnetic poles. The complete
system of attribution of the Tarot to the Tree of Life in a Solid Sphere is to be
found in Regardie’s Golden Dawn.
The Qabalah 51
Figure 15. Attribution of the Minor Cards and the Court Cards to the Zodiac. Innermost
circle: the Signs and Houses of the Zodiac; Second ring: small cards of the Tarot; Third
ring: days of the year attributed to the Decans; Fourth ring: Kings, Queens and Princes
on the Zodiac; Fifth ring: technically, in three dimensions above the Kings, Queens and
Princes; Outer ring: the Aces. These are, when this scheme is considered in a three-
dimensional sphere, at the North Pole of the earth above the Princesses.
Patterns of the Sephiroth
1. KETHER: The Crown
The Four Aces
□ All that Is; the Breath of That
which Is Not
□ The Source of Energy from the
Infinite Unmanifest
□ The First “Motion”
□ God the Creator
□ That from Which we come, and
to Which we shall return
Symbols: Crown, Point, Swas-
tica
Color: White
In Kether is the Divine White Brilliance, the scintillation and
corruscation of the Divine Glory— that light which lighteth the
universe — that light which surpasseth the glory of the Sun and
beside which the light of mortals is but darkness, and concerning
which it is not fitting that we should speak more fully. And the
sphere of its operation is called Rashith ha-Gilgalim —the
beginning of whirling, the Primum Mobile or First Mover, which
bestoweth the gift of life in all things and filleth the whole
Universe. And Eheieh is the name of the Divine Essence in
Kether; and its Archangel is the Prince of Countenances—
Metatron, he who bringeth forth others before the face of God.
And the Name of its Order of Angels is called Chaioth ha-
Qadesh, the Holy Living Creatures which are also called the
Order of Seraphim . 63
54 The Qabalistic Tarot
All of the Sephiroth must be approached intellectually before some
intuition about their natures begins to develop. One begins with a study of the
symbols attached to each Sephira. Such symbols transcend language. More-
over, one symbol may suggest something about another symbol, thus creating a
general picture of the energy in question. It is impossible to know Kether, as it is
said that man cannot look upon the face of God and live. Yet we can establish
some principles about Kether through its symbols, such as the Point. It may be
said that Kether is the point, and that is true. But the Point is not Kether, it is
merely an idea, a focus of reference for our thoughts about Kether.
The interrelationship of symbols provides the best instruction, for each
symbol describes a specific aspect of a Sephira. In Kether, these are the Crown,
the Point and the Swastica. This latter is one of the oldest symbols of the
Ultimate Godhead, unfortunately attached to the positive evil of Nazism in an
age past.
The first symbol of Kether is the Crown. Our anthropomorphic
perspective may lead us to the idea that the directing force is within our heads,
but the Qabalah places that force above. The distinction is a significant one,
indicating that the Holy Guiding Spirit is a crowning glory to which we may
aspire, and an energy to which the mental processes of our brain are
subordinate. The Crown, in the microcosm, is our Essential Spirit. In the
macrocosm it rests above the head of Adam Kadmon, the Archetypal Man of the
Zohar who symbolizes the entire manifest Universe. Kether is the Crown above
Creation, but it is also that from which all creation springs. For this reason,
another of its prime symbols is the Point.
The Point is complete unto itself, without dimensions or external
definition. It represents total Unity. It is the seed from which the Universe
grows. Ultimately, all is Kether, and each of the Sephiroth emanating
successively from Kether are crystallizations of the latent aspects of the One.
The journey of manifestation begins and ends with Kether. It is the Kether of
Atziluth to which we aspire, and into which the manifest Universe will
eventually withdraw.
We begin the process of accelerating our own spiritual development, or
return, by the invocation of our own Kether. This Kether unconsciously guides
and directs us. The very act of calling attention to the “Light above our heads”
brings about a subtle activity on the Inner Planes. It is a conscious affirmation
of the Personality in manifestation of its mutability, and that the source of all
true life is above. As the very universe begins and ends with Kether, so all work
of spiritual development, whether meditative or ritualistic, must begin with an
invocation of the Highest. The God name in Kether is Eheieh, meaning I WILL
BE, a name which has been likened in its sound and meaning to breath.
To the Point is attributed the number 1 which, mathematically, has the
potential for all other numbers, by simple addition. If we take the number 1 and
place another number 1 beside it, we have 2. If we take a third 1, we have three
ones, i.e., 3. This idea may appear so obvious as to be inane, until we begin to
meditate on the concept of simple numbers and simple geometry. What do we
Patterns of the Sephiroth 55
know, for example, that could be considered pure one, which is totally
indivisible? Numbers are the most pure form of symbol and are of great
importance in the Qabalistic scheme of things. No student who has pursued
Ouspensky’s Tertium Organum 64 through its profound discussion of dimen-
sions would dispute that.
While Kether is symbolized by the Point and the number One, it is not
static. In Assiah (the material world) it is also the “First Swirlings” of
manifestation. So a third descriptive idea is attached. That is the Swastica
representing vital, swirling motion around the point. It is self-contained, but in
motion.
The Swastica has four arms, representing the four latent aspects of the
m D’ , the Primordial Elements. It is not trinitarian. These are the energies
which, unified in Kether, are finally differentiated into the four Base Elements
of Malkuth, called the Bride of Microprosopus. Malkuth is Kether on the lowest
arc, and defines the principle of “As above, so below.” The Swastica is the
perfect symbol for the Primordial Elements because if the arms are imagined in
motion, like the blades of a fan, each is indistinguishable from the other. As the
Elements are represented in Malkuth, on the Tree of Life, they are sharply
defined.
“As above, so below” is a principle which states, in essence, that
Malkuth, the densest development of the universe, is equally holy as the source.
Fundamentalists, finding the physical world evil, per se, are misguided
extremists.
This question of evil is best approached in dealing with Kether because
this is the sole area of the Tree of Life where no evil exists. It is the Holy of
Holies, having no opposing energies within it.
Evil is unbalanced force.lt is a by-product of evolution, resulting from a
stage of temporary imbalance in one Sephira, prior to the mitigating emergence
of another. That is the Qabalistic theory: at each point of evolution is left an
extreme of a specific energy.
Evil is an extreme. It attempts to pull to one side, making balance
impossible. Unity is the ultimate good, and unity is the result of the balance of
two opposites. For example: Geburah is dynamic strength, and its opposite,
Chesed, is Mercy or Love. The extreme of Geburah is hideous cruelty. The
extreme of Chesed is the worst kind of weakness manifesting as bigotry and
hypocrisy.
Dion Fortune makes the point that there are two kinds of evil, positive
and negative. Negative evil is not so much a matter of choice as unbalanced
temperament. But positive evil involves willfully espousing an unbalanced force
for some sort of self-gain . 65
Each Sephira has its unbalanced aspect, and a system of named
Demons, as it has its God Names and Angelic forms, known as the Qlippoth.
These are extremes which are also found in each individual, in varying degrees,
and which the Qabalah serves as a method of first defining, and then bringing
under control. It is for this reason that a system such as that of Abramelin
56 The Qabalistic Tarot
invokes both the good and evil forces. One is viewed as no better than the other,
since they are both an integral part of All. There is no value judgment, only the
desire to understand and bring under the control of balance. This is the
meaning of the warring families of the Bhagavad Gita. They are the component
parts of the personality which is, literally, at war with itself until the battle is
resolved through the intermediary of the Higher Self (Krishna in this work) and
peace restored.
The ultimate peace and unity of Kether is represented by a special
anthropomorphic symbol known as a Magical Image. Such an image is given
for each of the Sephiroth, and has been built up over the centuries by meditative
work on the inner planes. These images are, along with the applicable symbols,
points of contact with the energies of the Sephiroth. In the case of Kether, the
image is that of an Ancient Bearded King Seen in Profile. This is a crowned and
white-bearded head, seen from the right side, its left being unknown to us, as it
borders on the Unmanifest.
As the Aces are attributed to Kether, they represent the most pure forms
of energy, subject to elaboration as the Sephiroth (symbolized by the other
numbered cards of the Tarot) consecutively emerge to form a complete World.
Each is unique and distinct in the degree of its density and in its specific type of
energy. Thus, when any Ace appears in a divination, it stands for great power.
Finally, it must be reiterated that while the Kether which is the Source of
all is a quality which cannot be known to us, it is a quality which we can
symbolize to some extent. It is intriguing to consider the idea of eternity, an
effort which tends to underscore the very frailty of the system of definitions
within which we necessarily function. We may be able to deal with the idea that
the division between matter and spirit is artificial, or even a concept of
intelligence which is totally formless, but our concept of time falls hard! We
suppose that if God is not finite, he must be infinite. And yet, we are told that
none of our human concepts can begin to apply to Kether, and infinite is a
human concept. There is a large degree of faith required here, and an open mind
which asks questions fearlessly until answers emerge.
THE ACES
First in order of appearance are the four Aces, representing the
force of the Spirit acting in, and binding together the four scales
of each element and answering to the Dominion of the Letters of
the Name in the Kether of each. They represent the Radical or
Root-Force. The Four Aces are said to be placed on the North
Pole of the Universe, wherein they revolve, governing its
revolution, and ruling as the connecting link between Yetzirah
and the Material Plane of the Universe . 66
Patterns of the Sephiroth 57
Note: This sequence of illustrations - Golden Dawn (1890), Crowley (1944), Waite (1910),
and Marseilles (1748) decks -is followed throughout the text.
THE ACE OF WANDS, Root of the Powers of Fire ( 7 ).
This card represents the primary outpouring energy of the universe. It is
the Kether of Atziluth, the influence of Kether on the level of pure Spirit. In the
Golden Dawn card an angelic hand holds what is basically an inverted root of
three sections (possibly influenced by the Tree of Life diagram published by
Fludd). The ten root sections are painted with bands in the colors of the ten
Sephiroth in the Four Worlds. The sigils on the three parts are drawn from the
Rose Cross Lament using the letters UN (Aesch, Fire), D’n (Maim, Water)
and ,Yn (Ruach, Air). The twenty-two Yods are the Paths on the Tree of Life.
The Marseilles deck is probably the source of these Yods, although there the
number seems arbitrary.
The Waite card shows the club as living and bearing leaves, a reference
which is intentionally phallic. Crowley’s Ace abstracts the flaming Yods into
the form of the entire Tree of Life, thus continuing the Golden Dawn symbolism
of the Ace of Wands as the source of All.
Here it may also be observed that the entire Tree is a glyph of the power
of Fire, when manifestation is symbolized as the inn> .permeated by ty.Yod
and Shin are, to some extent, used interchangeably.
THE ACE OF CUPS, Root of the Powers of Water ( n ).
The Ace of Cups is Kether in Briah, the influence of Kether on the
mental level. This is an all-encompassing Maternal Force, symbolized by Water
which in the Golden Dawn and Waite cards pours dynamically from the Cup,
but becomes calm and stable beneath. The Golden Dawn represents the
unfolding of Divine Consciousness with the Lotus colored red to suggest that
the origin of this consciousness is in Fire. Waite, on the other hand, shows the
Cup as the perfection and formalization of the mrp evolving toward matter.
The twenty-six drops of water coming from the Cup mean the mn>, a
58 The Qabalistic Tarot
number derived by Gematria as we will later demonstrate. The Dove here is a
symbol of Venus as the Great Mother, beneath which is the circle and equal-
armed cross of the earth which she produces. This symbol was incidentally,
adopted by Dion Fortune to represent her Society of the Inner Light.
Crowley’s version of the card emphasizes the wave action characteristic
of physical water, but here meaning the activity which encloses and directs pure
consciousness. The Cup emerges from the Lotus itself.
The Marseilles Ace is the most basic of the three versions, and appears
to be nothing more than a simple chalice. Yet the suggestion of Gothic
architecture tells us that what is intended is The Church, as Holy Mother. In the
fourteenth century the Virgin Mary was often referred to as the Church itself,
the very building which enclosed the faithful. That symbolism is completely
consistent with the meaning of the Ace of Cups.
THE ACE OF SWORDS, Root of the Powers of Air ( 1 ).
The card is Kether in Yetzirah, the influence of Kether in the Astral
World, the world of fleeting forms. This is a potent card which can be either
Patterns of the Sephiroth 59
extremely good or extremely evil. It represents force which is invoked, rather
than the natural force of the ACE OF WANDS. This is a force called upon.
When the Kether energies are seen on the Astral level they are both
dynamic and erratic, having the potential to be applied at will to different
situations. Thus, this is described as the “Sword of Good or Evil,” of “Whirling
force and strength through trouble. It is the affirmation of justice upholding
Divine Authority; and it may become the Sword of Wrath, Punishment and
Affliction .” 68
The style for most versions of this card relates to the Marseilles version,
showing the Sword of Air, passing through the Crown of Kether. Dual
possibilities for action are implied in the palm of suffering, and the olive branch
of peace. The six Vaus above the Golden Dawn crown mean Tiphareth, the
Ruach (Air) center of the Tree of Life.
THE ACE OF PENTACLES, Root of the Powers of Earth ( P ).
This Ace represents Kether in Assiah, the influence of Kether in the
World of Matter. It is a card of materiality which may, like the ACE OF
SWORDS, be either good or evil. It is not necessarily a card of wealth, and
should be compared with the TEN OF PENTACLES.
The Marseilles card is extremely simple, and relates to the ancient suit of
Coins, money being considered the essence of material things. Waite’s version
also features a coin, but this is really a Pentacle, magical symbol of earth, held
above a flowing garden of pure lilies. The hand floats in the air, suggesting that
it is that which brings about the fruition of matter, rather than being matter
itself.
In the Golden Dawn card an angelic hand holds a Rose Tree surmounted
by a Pentacle of five concentric circles. The outermost circles are in the colors of
Malkuth: citrine, olive, russet and black. These are the four Base Elements,
shown to be in perfect balance by the red equal-armed cross. The twelve white
rays are the forces of the Zodiac, expressed through the Elements of Earth. The
60 The Qabalistic Tarot
four roses also represent the Elements, but the addition of two buds implies the
very fertility of these Elements in their subtle earthly balance. The winged Red
Cross refers to the Primordial Elements of Kether. It is winged to show that the
Elements pass through the state of Spiritual Air before manifesting into matter.
Crowley’s card apparently represents the wings of the four Archangels
(Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Auriel) whose powers serve to balance one
another, and create stability. At the center is Crowley’s personal phallus symbol
and the number of the Beast of Revelation, 666, with which he identified. In the
wheel are Greek words meaning “to the mark of the beast,” another indicator
that Crowley chose this particular card as his own.
2. CHOKMAH: Wisdom
The Four Twos,
The Four Kings
□ The Supernal Father
□ The Will to Force
□ Dynamic Outpouring Energy,
Unorganized and Uncompensa-
ted
□ The Great Stimulator
□ The First Positive
Symbols: The Phallus, the Line,
Yod.
Astrological Reference: The
Sphere of the Zodiac
Color: Grey
In Chokmah is a cloud-like grey which containeth various
colours and is mixed with them, like a transparent pearl-hued
mist, yet radiating withal, as if behind it there was a brilliant
glory. And the Sphere of its influence is in Masloth, the Starry
Heaven, wherein it disposeth the forms of things. And Yah is the
Divine Ideal Wisdom, and its Archangel is Ratziel, the Prince of
Princes of the knowledge of hidden and concealed things, and
the name of its Order of Angels is Auphanium, the Wheels or the
Whirling Forces which are also called the order of Kerubim.
Many of our present-day notions of sexuality are still rooted in the
Victorian era, when sex was considered almost unnatural. It was, at best, not to
be discussed in polite company. Today we are coming, increasingly, to
understand that what has been described as the “mystery of sex” is aptly
termed, and that the ability to manipulate the sexual currents in one’s own body
Patterns of the Sephiroth 61
was among the greatest secrets of the ancient magicians. It is no coincidence
that the ecstasies of visionaries such as Saint Theresa or Saint John of the
Cross are described in words that seem explicitly sexual and orgasmic.
Sexual repression, or discomfort with one’s own sexuality (and here we
are neither discussing nor advocating any particular pattern of behavior) is a
serious impediment to any understanding of the inner worlds.
The male generative organ (The Phallus, or Lingham) is the key symbol
of Chokmah, and the first differentiation of the One. It is the primary quality of
maleness at the most abstract level, and representative of the Supernal Father
emanating from the Godhead. From Chokmah emerges Binah, the Supernal
Mother.
Students of scripture will quickly note the parallels here with the story of
Adam and Eve as described in the Book of Genesis. God created first Man, by
molding him from dust and breathing his own breath into his creation. Eve, the
first woman, was created from the rib of the first man. The uniting of male and
female gave rise to the race of men after they were driven from the Garden of
Eden.
One can, symbolically, take the Garden of Eden to be the Supernal
Triangle itself. The male and female energies, balanced against each other,
evolve in increasing density as they develop toward the lowest aspects of the
Tree of Life, far from the Supernal Heights. The first book of the Bible has been
described as an extremely complex Qabalistic cryptogram, where every letter of
every Hebrew word, as well as its numerical value, has a specific and hidden
meaning. But interpretations of this sort are more the appropriate concern of
the theologian. Few students possess the language and research skills to deal
with the Qabalah in this way. Nor is this a practical necessity, since
understanding the Qabalah (though the study begins with the intellect) is
ultimately a spiritual process. As we focus our intellectual attention on the signs
and symbols of the Tree of Life we find that we are developing an intangible
appreciation of the energies which are described. And, as we have indicated,
number is among the most important of the symbols with which we have to be
concerned. In the case of Chokmah, that number is two.
The number two symbolizes the balance of opposites underlying all of
material existence. Thus does “Perfect Harmony” describe the Chokmah of
Atziluth, the TWO OF WANDS. Chokmah is the impetus for all manifestation,
as opposed to Kether, from which that impetus derives and which is the “Root.”
In the Mundane Chakra, it is the Sphere of the Zodiac, as Binah is the planet
Saturn.
While Kether is ultimately androgynous, Chokmah is the idea of
maleness and Binah is the idea of femaleness. We use the term idea here since at
the exalted realm of the Supernal Triangle, there can be no sexuality as we
understand it in our sphere of sensation. Maleness is described as a vital
outpouring energy, which is organized, i.e., limited or formalized, by the
qualities of femaleness. In the Qabalah these principles are referred to the Yod
(Male) and the Heh (Female). Their offspring is the Vau of the Divine Name,
attributed to the six lower Sephiroth to which Tiphareth is central.
62 The Qabalistic Tarot
There are so many interchangeable symbols in the Qabalah that the
system may appear to be more complicated than it actually is. But this concept
of vital outpouring energy which, in intercourse with an organizing force,
produces something else, is essential. For example, the Hebrew letter Heh
applies to Binah, but as the oldest of the Planets is also applied, another
suggestion is involved. For Saturn “devours its children.” The meaning here is
two-fold: first that death is implicit in birth; second, and at a deeper level, that
the Universe itself, the pattern of interwoven energies resulting from the
balance of Chokmah and Binah, will eventually withdraw inwards along the
same course through which it evolved.
The mysteries of the number two must be viewed as the interaction
between opposites, found throughout the Tree of Life, and originated in the
opposition of Chokmah and Binah. This involves fluid polarities, such as
anabolism and catabolism (building up and tearing down), waxing and waning,
life and death, etc. However, these opposites are not static. They are not pure
and immobile positive against pure and immobile negative, held opposite one
another in a sort of celestial check-mate. There is a constant growth and
movement. As change occurs in the energy of one Sephira, there is a natural
balancing response in its opposite, an effect which is seen dramatically as the
Sephiroth are applied to aspects of the microcosm. There is a continual
interchange which might be likened to the breathing in and out suggested by
the Divine Name of Kether, Eheieh, which sets the pattern for all beneath it.
The key to all systems, and to the Universal Pattern, is Chokmah, which
may be considered the only “reality” as opposed to Kether, which is not. One
can conceptualize the Universe as Non-Being (Kether) and Being (Chokmah). It
is rather like an electrical switch which is turned off in Kether and turned on in
Chokmah. The power is potential in Kether, but it does not begin to function
until the switch is turned on.
To understand how this works, let us imagine ourselves “switched on” in
Chokmah, in a state of deep meditation, with the reality of our current existence
welling up in our minds. We dream ourselves, yet that which is dreamed is
unaware of the dreamer. Here is what is meant by the Chinese story of a man
who dreams he is a butterfly, but on waking wonders if he is actually a butterfly
dreaming that he is a man.
That we meditate ourselves, like a dream inside out, is the ultimate fact
of our earthly existence. The inner “I” dreams what we perceive ourselves to be
in life; we, as such, do not exist, an idea which may be very frightening to some
and exhilerating to others.
Now this dream of life of ours has some very specific dimensions, or
whatever they may be called. Such dimensions are usually described in spatial
terms because that is our best frame of reference. The Qabalah describes an
evolution downwards from Chokmah, and various levels of the self-dream
which are the symbolic Sephiroth. Other systems explain these levels of self as
sheaths developing outward from the “I” (Monad, Supreme Spiritual Self, etc.)
which does the meditating. Some of the most complex discussions of these
sheafs are given by Alice Bailey. Another who attempts an explanation is Dion
Patterns of the Sephiroth 63
Fortune, author of The Cosmic Doctrine. Such systems, however, appear so
obtuse as to be unapproachable by all but a very few.
Yet when the Universal Patterns are glibly called “so simple that they
could be explained to a child,” two ideas are intended: First, what we have
described as dreaming our own existences. And second, that we are all,
collectively, what is known as God, but are not aware of it. The loss of our sense
of oneness with the Divine, however this may have happened, is the symbolic
Fall (again, a spatial reference to going “downwards”).
These two concepts are, at first, understood intellectually (the “Vision of
the Machinery of the Universe” of Yesod). Then the intellectual work turns into
a profound inner understanding. We surpass thought and begin to function
consciously with our inner dream-maker. Here it may be appreciated that when
the Dreamer and the Dreamed (as we know ourselves) begin to cooperate, we
acquire a control over what happens to our lives that is truly extraordinary. We
can have anything we want. . . anything. But what happens is that we want
nothing at all, because we have learned what matters and what does not.
THE TWOS
The Four Deuces symbolize the Powers of the King and Queen:
first uniting and initiating the Force, but before the Prince and
Princess are thoroughly brought into action. Therefore do they
generally imply the initiation and fecundation of a thing.
TWO OF WANDS, Lord of Dominion (Mars in Aries).
Angels of the Decan: Vehooel (bNim) and Deneyal (btf’:n).
Chokmah in Atziluth, the influence of Chokmah in the World of Pure
Spirit. In the Atziluthic realm, the fiery male force is on its own ground, so to
speak, and is in a completely harmonious state. The fiery planet Mars rules the
fiery sign Aries, a tremendous force which Crowley symbolizes with two crossed
Dorjes, Tibetan symbol of the thunderbolt. Here we understand that the
64 The Qabalistic Tarot
energies are balanced making this powerful card one of stable strength and
dominion.
To the crossed Wand pattern, established by the Marseilles deck, the
Golden Dawn added an angelic hand. The original Golden Dawn cards included
the astrological signs found on the Crowley cards, here Mars and Aries, the
decision having been made to eliminate them for publication.
Waite’s card shows a man surveying his kingdom, a mnemonic device
intended to benefit those who are using the cards primarily for divination,
showing only one aspect of the card’s meaning, Dominion.
TWO OF CUPS, Lord of Love (Venus in Cancer).
Angels of the Decan: Ayoel and Chabooyah (n» inn) .
This is Chokmah in Briah, the influence of Chokmah in the Mental
World. Cancer is a watery sign, so Cups apply. This is a card of feeling and
romance (particularly in material things) which has the potential for energy
misspent. Fish, generally, refer to the Goddess Venus, the Dolphin relating
more specifically to Neptune and the Sun God Apollo . 69 On the Golden Dawn
card the Solar (male) symbolism is implicit in the gold color of one Dolphin,
while the silver in the other is Lunar (female). They work together to bring light
to our world, which is also the nature of the sign Cancer, and reinforces the
meaning of the card as a harmony of male and female. The water springs from a
pure source, the upper Lotus, and pours down into the cups, ultimately reaching
our material earth. The idea is that Water ( n ) can only flow through the energy
provided by the Chokmah-Fire ( ■» ). It is a joyous and loving partnership.
The Crowley card is based entirely on that of the Golden Dawn. And in
the Marseilles card we find the apparent design roots of both.
In his exoteric version, Waite emphasizes the divinatory meaning of
love, marriage and partnership . 10
Patterns of the Sephiroth 65
TWO OF SWORDS, Lord of Peace Restored (Moon in Libra).
Angels of the Decan: Yezalel ((?tdu’) and Mebahel
This is Chokmah in Yetzirah, the influence of Chokmah in the Astral
World. Swords are generally negative and destructive, but the balancing effect
of Chokmah makes this a positive card. Swords, which might otherwise be
clashing, hold together a flower in both the Golden Dawn and Crowley cards:
The Golden Dawn uses the Venusian red rose of peace; Crowley chose a five-
petaled lotus. Balance is affirmed by the cross of light behind which, on
Crowley’s card, implies that this is the balance of active energies.
The divinatory meaning is suggested by the position of the Moon in
Libra. The Moon is a very changeable and erratic planet which assumes some
stability in Libra. The effect is one of subtlety, grace and compromise. So in
divination, this card means a quarrel made up and arranged, the restoration of
peace. Waite’s card implies all of this, but also indicates the underlying tension
which Crowley shows in his swirling forms behind the Swords. The truce here
may be somewhat tenuous.
TWO OF PENTACLES, Lord of Harmonious Change (Jupiter in Capricorn).
Angels of the Decan: Lekabel (iJKDDt?) and Veshiriah (rp-uyi).
This is Chokmah in Assiah, the influence of Chokmah in the material
world. Jupiter, a very benevolent Planet in traditional astrology, is not well
placed in the Sign of Capricorn, meaning that its good influence can only be
exerted as an organizer. It assures the harmony of an interaction of dualities
inherent in the Chokmah energy as it applies to earth. What was a perfectly
unified energy in Atziluth, is now a completely expressed duality; energies in
alternation.
Once more it appears that the Marseilles card is the pattern for the three
modem cards, the later versions having simply closed the “S” shape into a
perfect symbol of infinity. The Snake with its tail in its mouth, the Uroboros, is
a very ancient symbol of wisdom (meaning of the Hebrew word Chokmah ). But
66 The Qabalistic Tarot
this serpent is in the form of a figure eight, the same infinity sign found over the
head of THE MAGICIAN. In divination it means the harmony of change. But
in esoteric studies, it suggests the underlying patterns of alternation in all
matter, and the profound relationship between opposites.
THE KINGS
The Four kings or Figures mounted on Steeds [Golden Dawn and
Crowley versions] represent the Yod forces in the name of each
suit, the Radix, Father and commencement of Material Forces. A
Force in which all the others are implied and of which they form
the development and completion. A force swift and violent in
action, but whose effect soon passes away, and therefore
symbolized by a figure on a steed riding swiftly, and clothed in
complete armour.
WVNDS
Patterns of the Sephiroth 67
KING OF WANDS, Lord of the Flame and of the Lightning, King of the Spirits
of Fire, King of the Salamanders. (Last Decan of Scorpio -first two Decans of
Saggitarius). The King of Wands is Fire of Fire, Specific Fire in Primal Fire on
the Tree of Life.
The Marseilles King is seated on a throne, and holds a wand in his right
hand. Waite’s King is also seated, and holds the same fertile Wand found in the
Rider Ace of Wands. His crown indicates flames, as the Serpents behind and on
his robe refer to Chokmah.
The Golden Dawn and Crowley cards symbolize the dynamic, out-
rushing, pattern of this energy with the Moorish (Arabian) black horse which
leaps through the flames. The King’s crest is a winged horse head. Like all of the
Golden Dawn court cards, he is in armor, implying that the qualities of the
Elements which they symbolize do life’s battle for us. In his hand he carries the
same wand found on the Ace, showing that he is the motive vehicle for the Fire
Force.
KING OF CUPS, Lord of the Waves and of the Waters, King of the Hosts of the
Sea, King of Undines and Nymphs (Last Decan of Aquarius - first two Decans
of Pisces). The King of Cups is Specific Fire in the World of Primal Water. It is a
personification of the force which motivates the currents of the unconscious
mental world symbolized by Water, an idea found in Waite’s King, whose heavy
throne seems to ride effortlessly on the Water as does the Golden Dawn figure.
That King carries a Cup from which issues a Crab, symbol of the Sign Cancer
(Cardinal Water) which, ruled by the Moon, directs the flow of tides. The Crab
also relates to Isis, the Great Mother, Stella Maris, Star of the Sea . 71 The
peacock, found as the crest of the Golden Dawn King, enlarged and abstracted
by Crowley, is variously attributed as a symbol of wisdom (i.e., Chokmah) and
as a bird whose flesh is incorruptible. It was also related to the Phoenix, a bird
which died in flames every five hundred years and then rose from its own
ashes . 72
68 The Qabalistic Tarot
THE KING OF SWORDS, Lord of the Winds and Breezes, King of the Spirit of
Air, King of Sylphs and Sylphides (Last Decan of Taurus— first two Decans of
Gemini). The King of Swords is Specific Fire in Primal Air. It is a personifica-
tion of the activating Force behind the World of Astral images and ideas. It is a
violent and agressively cutting power, an idea shown best by Crowley, and not
at all by the Waite and Marseilles cards. Crowley’s mounted King is the
dynamic energy of the charging bull of Taurus, but being predominantly
Gemini he turns easily in one direction or the other. Gemini is also implied in
the Golden Dawn King’s crest, the Hexagram which is a merging of opposites.
To this King is attributed a subtleness and craftiness, as Air refers to the
conscious mind.
KING OF PENTACLES, Lord of the Wild and Fertile Land, King of the Spirits
of Earth, King of the Gnomes (Last Decan of Leo -first two Decans of Virgo).
The King of Pentacles personifies Specific Fire in Primal Earth. It is the most
dense manifestation of the Elemental Yod Force, and is the energy which brings
Patterns of the Sephiroth 69
about material fruition and growth as Waite has shown here in a very effective
card. His King is the very essence of the energy underlying earthly growth.
The Golden Dawn and Crowley Kings use the emblem of a stag, an
animal to whom great regenerative powers are attributed. The stag mythically
eats the Serpent (absorbs wisdom) and in so doing sheds its skin, as well as any
illness, weakness and old age. It is totally regenerated . 73 Thus, it is a fitting
symbol for Fire of Earth. It moves fleetingly, as fire, but also represents the
cyclic rebirth of the earth. This same fruition is indicated by the com (symbol of
Isis-Ceres) in the foreground. It is clear that Mathers was a student of medieval
bestiaries, where the animal legends are collected.
3. BIN AH: Understanding
The Four Threes
The Four Queens
□ The Supernal Mother
□ The Organizer and Compensa-
tor
□ The Will to Form
□ The Dark Sterile Mother; the
Bright Fertile Mother
□ The Great Sea
Symbols: The Yoni, the Trian-
gle, the Cup, Heh
Planet: Saturn
Color: Black
In Binah is a thick darkness which yet veileth the Divine Glory
in which all colours are hidden, wherein is mystery and depth
and silence, and yet, it is the habitation of the Supernal Light.
There is the Supernal Triad completed. And the Sphere of its
Operation is Shabbathi, or rest, and it giveth forms and
similitudes unto chaotic matter and it ruleth the sphere of action
of the planet Saturn. And Jehovah Elohim is the perfection of
Creation and the Life of the World to Come. And its Archangel is
Tzaphqiel, the Prince of the Spiritual Strife against Evil, and the
Name of the Angels is Aralim, the strong and mighty Ones who
are also called the Order of Thrones.
The key symbol of Binah is the Yoni, or female generative organ,
indicating that this Sephira is the energy from which all life emerges. It is the
Great Womb, the Supernal Mother to which all religions make reference in some
70 The Qabalistic Tarot
way. It is also the completion of the Supernal Triangle, which began as the
point in Kether, emanated to Chokmah as the line, and emerges with Binah as
the triangle.
Two questions generally arise when first considering “sexuality” as it is
philosophically described in these upper realms of the Tree of Life. The first
relates to the fact that the primary female Sephira, Binah, stands at the head of
the Pillar of Severity, while the primary male Sephira, Chokmah, is at the head
of the Pillar of Mercy.
This fact reflects the Qabalistic definition of maleness and femaleness
as qualities, rather than as static characteristics, as well as the ultimate bi-
sexuality of the Soul. In the Supernal Triangle, maleness is pure outgoing
energy, merciful in that it is unrestricted; femaleness is a limiting quality, and
thus severe. Moving down through the Tree of Life on the Pillar of Severity we
find that Geburah destroys, while Hod again builds up (anabolism and
catabolism). And on the Pillar of Severity we find that Chesed builds up while
Netzach has destructive qualities.
The second question which inevitably arises throughout the Tree of Life
is the extent to which there is an interchange of masculine and feminine deities
as we know them. Although the key God figure of Binah is Isis, the male Gods
Saturn and Chronos are also attributed to it. Moreover, at the base of the Pillar
of Severity, beneath Binah, we find the male God Mercury in the Sephira Hod.
At the base of the Pillar of Mercy we find the female Goddess Venus in the
Sephira Netzach. The answer is that our concepts of gender are insufficient to
describe the subtle polarities and interchanges of energy in the Universe.
Aspects of a female deity often best describe aspects of a primarily masculine
Sephira. Moreover, it will be appreciated that the Pantheons with which we are
most familiar in the West are anthropromorphic. We have created the Gods in
our own image with a certain fundamentalists, though comforting naivety.
Binah is restriction. It is the will to form, a discipline imposed on the
pure force of Chokmah. At the same time it is the Great Sea from which life
emerges, a concept implying a primordial Unconscious. Water had always been
viewed by poets and philosophers as harboring the deepest mysteries of our
existence. Indeed, in the Mundane Chakra, theories of evolution propose that
life, as we know it, may have emerged from the sea.
The image of dark and deep waters is a very profound one which, as it
rises in our consciousness, cannot help but affect us in some curious way. As the
Golden Dawn knowledge lecture states: “In Binah is a thick darkness which yet
veileth the Divine Glory in which all colours are hidden, wherein is mystery and
depth and silence, and yet it is the habitation of the Supernal Light.” In this
sense, Binah is described as the Outer Robe of Concealment, an idea which
might most readily be understood by considering the extent to which our
physical forms conceal our inner realities from others.
In the sense that Binah is the giver of life, she is the Bright Fertile
Mother. But in the sense that she restricts and disciplines (in effect, is the first
lawgiver), she is called the Dark Sterile Mother. This duality is also found in
Yesod (the Moon), which reflects the light of the Sun into Malkuth. The Moon is
Patterns of the Sephiroth 71
represented both by Diana and by Hecate. One is the obverse of the other, bright
and dark.
Throughout the Sephiroth and the Paths, the qualities of Binah and
Chokmah are given different names, depending on their degree of density, i.e.,
their placement on the Tree of Life relative to its completion in Malkuth. Thus,
we may speak of Isis in Binah, or on the Path of THE EMPRESS or THE HIGH
PRIESTESS. Or we may discuss Venus, Diana, Hecate, or even Ceres in other
Sephiroth, knowing that these are aspects of the same Divine Energy. The Jah
of Chokmah and the Jehovah Elohim of Binah wear many robes throughout the
Universe.
One of the most important attributions of Binah is Chronos, oldest of the
Gods and called “Father Time.” The concept of time is highly restrictive, and
appropriately related to Binah. Time measures the process of aging, the
migration from birth through life, toward death, which is the ultimate result of
the gift of life which passes through Binah.
Binah, Understanding, is called the Sanctifying Intelligence, and the
“Parent of Faith.” It may be taken to represent the structure underlying
established religion of any sect, without which a “church” could not exist.
Students of the history of art may recall the iconographic theme where the
Mother Mary is shown as a large figure within a church, but where it is
understood that Mary is the church, in all of its organization, structure and
sanctity.
But Binah is called the “Parent of Faith,” rather than faith itself which
is belief. Binah is the discipline of organization behind faith. Reason, science
and intellectuality, all disciplines of organization, are the fullest development of
the Binah energy, found in Hod at the base of the Pillar of Severity. Intuition,
feeling and artistic creativity are the ultimate product of the energy of
Chokmah, found in Netzach at the base of the Pillar of Mercy.
THE THREES
The Four Threes, generally, represent the realization of action
owing to the Prince having been produced. The central symbol
on each card. Action definitely commenced for good or evil.
THREE OF WANDS, Lord of Established Strength (Sun in Aries).
Angels of the Decan: Hechashiah (rptyrin) and Aamamiah (rpnny).
This is Binah in Atziluth, the influence of Binah in the World of Pure
Spirit. The three crossed Wands on the card means the balance of Chokmah and
Binah which has given forth Tiphareth (the Queen has given birth to the
Prince, and growth begins), shown by Crowley as the blossoming of the Lotus.
Astrologically, the entrance of the Sun into Aries heralds the Spring. The Sun
illuminates Aries, the sign of Cardinal Fire, ruled by Mars. The result is great
strength in individual expression, but also egocentricity which may manifest as
pride and conceit.
72 The Qabalistic Tarot
Waite’s card shows the divinatory meaning of Established force, pride
and arrogance, power sometimes.
THREE OF CUPS, Lord of Abundance (Mercury in Cancer).
Angels of the Decan: Rahael and Yebomayah (rpnrp).
This is Binah in Briah, the influence of Binah in the mental World.
Cancer is under the rulership of the Moon, and is Cardinal Water. It is, thus, in
perfect affinity with Binah. The gifts of Mercury overflow in this sign, as is
indicated by the rushing water crossing the stems of the Lotuses of the Golden
Dawn card in a way suggestive of a Caduceus. Crowley modifies this theme of
Water flowing from dual Lotuses. The water in his card arises from one single
Lotus, “the dark calm sea characteristic of Binah .” 74 His cups are pomegra-
nates, the fruit of Persephone to whom, with Demeter, the card is attributed.
To represent the meaning of plenty, hospitality, abundance, etc., Waite
uses a motif of three dancers (the Graces) popularized during the Renaissance.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 73
THREE OF SWORDS, Lord of Sorrow (Saturn in Libra).
Angels of the Decan: Harayel (t>K’ “ih) and Hoqmiah (n’ttpn) .
This is Binah in Yetzirah, the influence of Binah in the Astral World.
Saturn is a very powerful planet, sometimes called “The Great Destroyer,” and
sometimes “The Great Initiator.” Its presence usually means pain and hardship
but this should not be taken as evil. It is through suffering, and through
encounter with the Dark Sterile Mother that we learn life’s most important
lessons. Saturn throws the scales of Libra off balance in order that they may be
rebalanced in a better way. Waite’s card of unhappiness and sorrow shows a
heart pierced by three swords, while the Golden Dawn swords tear apart the
Rose of five Petals as does Crowley’s version.
THREE OF PENTACLES, Lord of Material Works (Mars in Capricorn).
Angels of the Decan : Yechevah (n> in>) and Lehachiah (rpnnb).
This is Binah is Assiah, the influence of Binah in the material world.
The effect of Mars on the earth sign Capricorn is to bring great control and
74 The Qabalistic Tarot
discipline in material things. The idea of employment, business, constructive
building is shown by Waite as a medieval artisan at work in a church. Crowley’s
card shows material manifestation based on the pattern of three as represented
in various symbol systems: Mercury, Sulphur and Salt to the Alchemists,
Sattvas, Rajas and Tamas to the Hindus, and the maternal letters Aleph (Air),
Mem (Water) and Shin (Fire) in the Qabalah. The pyramid arises in the Great
Sea which is Binah.
THE QUEENS
Are seated upon Thrones, representing the Forces of Heh in the
Divine Name of each suit, the Mother, and bringer forth of
material Force, a Force which develops and realizes the Force of
the King. A Force steady and unshaken, but not rapid though
enduring. It is therefore symbolized by a figure seated upon a
Throne, but also clothed in armour.
QUEEN OF WANDS, Queen of the Thrones of Flame, Queen of the Salaman-
ders or Salamandrines (Last Decan of Pisces— first two Decans of Aries).
The Queen of Wands is Water of Fire, Specific Water in the World of
Primal Fire. Both the Golden Dawn and Crowley cards show a Queen enthroned
above steady flames. In one hand she carries the Fire wand, while the other
rests on the head of a Leopard, also the symbol of her crest in Mathers’ design.
This animal represents the extreme ferocity of Fire tamed by the Queen. Her
hand on the animal’s head shows the power under her control; the Wand shows
that she is able to direct this force. And here we recall that the wand is also a
symbol of the will.
Waite’s card appears to stress the warmth and attractiveness of this
Queen when she is well-aspected, while also suggesting that she has the
potential for violence and tyranny.
Patterns of the Sephiroth "lb
QUEEN OF CUPS, Queen of the Thrones of the Waters, Queen of Nymphs and
Undines (Last Decan of Gemini -first two Decans of Cancer).
The Queen of Cups is Water of Water, Specific Water in the World of
Primal Water. In the Golden Dawn version her right hand holds a Cup from
which a crayfish emerges, while her left hand rests a Lotus upon the head of an
Ibis. Crowley’s card is an abstraction of the same symbols.
The Crayfish relates to the Moon . 75 In fact, one of the characteristics of
this totally watery card is that its flow changes according to the influences
around it, more so than other cards of the deck. The Ibis is a bird traditionally
associated with Thoth-Hermes who is, in one aspect, the Moon God . 76 In
mythology the bird eats the eggs of the Snake (a reference here to Chokmah)
and the corpses of the dead. Thus, in the Water aspect of Binah is the reference
to the Great Sea from which life flows out, but which also flows inward in death.
The Lotus, which has been equated with the Rose itself, is sacred to Isis, the
Great Mother. It is, thus, through the intermediary of the Lotus (rather than a
direct touch of the hand) that the Great Mother causes the Ibis to do its work.
But this is a card as tranquil as the waters flowing before the Queens on the
three modem versions. These waters, on which lotuses float, are a means of
transmission of forces.
QUEEN OF SWORDS, Queen of the Thrones of Air, Queen of the Sylphs and
Sylphides (Last Decan of Virgo -first two Decans of Libra).
The Queen of Swords is Water of Air, Specific Water in the world of
Primal Air.
The Marseilles and Waite versions are tame compared to those of the
Golden Dawn and Crowley. In these latter cards, the image of a head, newly
severed by the Sword of the Queen, is undoubtedly the most gruesome to appear
in any Tarot deck. The Golden Dawn papers do not elaborate on this symbolism,
which may seem oddly placed with the crest, a winged child’s head. Crowley,
however, explains this image as the “clear, conscious perception of Idea, the
76 The Qabalistic Tarot
Liberator of the Mind .” 77 As Yetzirah is the realm of deception, we are to
understand that keen observation and perception are the sword which protects
us, slicing away all fantasy and unreality. The child alone is innocent and
unfettered by sterile concepts and useless ideas. It is the very head of man, the
thinking-center, which is severed. The principles of the Queen of Swords bring
us to an understanding of the ways in which we are deceived by thought, and
teach us how to transcend it.
QUEEN OF PENTACLES, Queen of the Thrones of the Earth, Queen of the
Gnomes (Last Decan of Sagittarius - first two Decans of Capricorn).
The Queen of Pentacles is Water of Earth, Specific Water in the World of
Primal Earth. In all versions of this card she holds a symbol of her rulership
over Earth. In the Golden Dawn card she also holds a sceptre topped by a cube,
a six-sided solid referring to the Altar of the Mysteries. She is the uppermost part
of this altar (a double cube), the base being the PRINCESS OF PENTACLES.
Mathers, Crowley and Waite all agreed that the goat was the appropriate
animal symbol for this card because it represents Capricorn.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 77
DAATH: KNOWLEDGE
Daath is called the “Invisible Sephira” in that it does
not appear in any representation of the Tree of Life. And, in
terms of pure Qabalistic doctrine, it is not actually a Sephira
at all. As the Sepher Yetzirah states: “Ten is the number of the
ineffable Sephiroth, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven . 11
But an experience of what is called Daath is required to cross the Abyss,
the great gulf between the Supernal Triangle and all beneath. This is the area of
demarcation between Macroprosopus and Microprosopus, the potential and the
actual.
The important idea associated with the Abyss is that there is a vital and
distinct separation between the energies of the Supernal Triangle and the seven
Sephiroth beneath it. Kether, Chokmah and Binah are totally abstract, and
beyond comprehension. Through the meditation of Binah, the energy of
Chokmah pours across the Abyss and becomes a realized pattern in Chesed. But
again, the Abyss symbolizes the vast separation between the creators and the
created. The Supemals are potential separated from their realization by a
chasm bridged by Daath.
It is said that the level of Daath is as far as the Higher Self can rise,
which requires a definition of terms. Students of the mystical arts often describe
a simple dichotomy between the Personality in Incarnation and the Higher Self
which controls and directs its personality projections through various incarna-
tions. Strictly speaking, however, the make-up of the individual is quadripartite,
and an even more pure form of energy directs and controls the Higher Self.
First there is our Material Body (Assiah), then the conscious mind,
which is the Personality (Yetzirah), then the Higher Self, the unconscious
(Briah) and finally there is the Essential Spirit, the Primal Life Spark
(Atziluth).
On the single Tree of Life, The Essential Spirit refers to Kether. The
Higher Self, one aspect of which is called the Holy Guardian Angel, underscor-
ing its protective capacity for the Personality in incarnation, is referred to
Chesed, Geburah and Tiphareth.
The Personality, created anew for each specific incarnation, belongs to
Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. This is the normal waking consciousness, and the
aspect of the individual which must be put in perfect balance before it can
directly contact the Higher Self (the ultimate intent of initiatory rituals or
meditative work). The physical vehicle is in Malkuth.
When the perfect balance of the elements of the Personality has occurred,
the Light of Tiphareth can descend into the lower Temple of self, and bring a
new level of consciousness. This is the “Knowledge and Conversation of the
Holy Guardian Angel.” The experience is known as “adepthood” or “enlighten-
78 The Qabalistic Tarot
ment,” and it is the introduction to Inner Truth which may ultimately lead to
the greater initiation of the Essential Spirit above the Abyss. To pass through
Daath, and the Abyss, means to wilfully relinquish the powers of Adepthood
which one has earned, an experience which has been described as a more
overwhelming and solitary one than human imagination can conceive.
It will be noted that the Path of the Flaming Sword, the zig-zag in which
the Sephiroth were sequentially emanated, has no path directly connecting to
Binah and Chesed. The Adept, aspiring to Union with the Divine, must leap
across it, fearlessly and unaided, creating for himself the transition of Daath.
4. CHESED: Mercy
The Four Fours
□ The Builder
□ The Framework of Manifes-
tation
□ The Loving Father who is
King
□ The Receptacle of All Powers
□ The Kindly Shepherd
Symbols: The Pyramid, The
Square, the Orb and Equal-arm-
ed Cross, the Crook, the Sceptre.
Planet: Jupiter
Color: Blue
In Chokmah is the Radix of blue and thence is there a blue color
pure and primitive, and glistening with a spiritual Light which
is reflected into Chesed. And the Sphere of its Operation is called
Tzedek or Justice and it fashioneth the images of material
things, bestowing peace and mercy ; and it ruleth the sphere of
the action of the planet Jupiter. And A1 is the title of a God
strong and mighty, ruling in Glory, Magnificence and Grace.
And the Archangel of Chesed is Tsadkiel, the Prince of Mercy
and Beneficence, and the Name of the Order of Angels is
Chasmalim, Brilliant Ones, who are also called the Order of
Dominions or Dominations. The Sephira Chesed is also called
Gedulah or Magnificence and Glory.
Chesed is the first Sephira below the Abyss, and the first of the six
Sephiroth making up Microprosopus, the seventh Sephira, Malkuth, being the
“Bride of Microprosopus.”
Chesed is the Demiurge (the Lesser Creator) which is actually the Power
described in the Book of Genesis. The first part of that book describes not the
Patterns of the Sephiroth 79
origin of Kether out of the Unmanifest, but the origin of Microprosopus, from
the Elohim of Binah, in Chesed. The formless and void darkness of the Supernal
Triangle gives rise to manifestation, which is form and light. There is no light in
Binah, only a “thick darkness,” nor is there form, only what we have called the
“will to form.”
In Chesed is found the beginning of manifestation, the externalization
of the combined potencies of the Supernals. It is the initial urge toward material
structure as we know it and, as such, is the administrator of the Laws first
proposed by Binah. Chesed is Chokmah on a lower arc, from which emanated
the pure form of Binah. As evolution proceeds toward Chesed, across the Abyss,
and back to the Pillar of Mercy, the positive impetus of that Pillar acts on the
energies of Binah (The Divine Energy of Kether is externally modified and
transformed through the various stages of the Tree of Life). This may help to
explain the attribution of male deities to the “Female” side of the Tree of Life,
and vice versa. To reiterate: as Chesed emanates, it must now deal with the form
which was created by Binah, and it does so in terms of the positive qualities of
the Pillar of Mercy. There is a good analogy in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes
Trismegistus, which describes the action of various energies on what it calls the
One Thing. God so arranges that the Father of this One Thing is the Sun, its
Mother is the Moon; it is carried in the Belly of the Wind, and nursed by the
earth. The pattern of Sun (Fire), Moon (Water), Wind (Air) and Earth is clear. To
truly understand the Tree of Life, we must constantly remember that we are
dealing with multiplicity in unity.
The One Thing evolves from Sephira to Sephira across the Tree of Life.
As the Tablet continues: “It ascends from the Earth up to Heaven, and descends
again, newborn, on the Earth, and the Superior and the Inferior are increased in
Power.” What is described here is the constant renewing effect of the Ain Soph,
which stimulates birth, death and rebirth on an increasingly higher and more
powerful level.
As Binah is best understood in its relationship to Chokmah, so Chesed
must be studied as the equal and opposite of Geburah. In the swing of energies
back and forth on the Tree of Life, Chesed builds up (anabolism) on the
principles proposed by Binah, while Gebruah tears down (catabolism) reflecting
the dynamism of Chokmah. The Tree works in cross-patterns.
Chesed is Mercy. Geburah is Strength. They are the two arms of the
man, one which gives, and the other which takes away. Chesed, related to
Jupiter, is a Mighty King. He is the kindly and benevolent ruler. Geburah,
related to Mars, is also a King, but he sits in a chariot, armed for battle.
The text of the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom describes Chesed as
containing all the Holy Powers meaning, again, that it is the first of a new
sequence and is related to Kether by its primacy in another order. The image of
a mighty and loving ruler conveys the idea that it is a potency which guides and
controls the course of manifestation. It establishes the underlying framework
on which matter is built. It is the realm of the archetypes described by Plato in
the ninth book of his Republic, and the various symbols of Chesed make
suggestions about the function and purpose of these archetypes.
80 The Qabalistic Tarot
The first is the Pyramid, a tetrahedron used as a building form by the
society which gave us the first monumental stone architecture. It brings
together four sides, each of which point upwards. Energy flows down from
above, and is spread equally through each of the sides. Thus does Chesed
contain all the Holy Powers. It is renewed manifestation of the Four,
encountered first in the Primordial Elements of Kether, and establishes the
archetypal pattern for matter fully expressed in the subdivided elements of
Malkuth. Moreover, we recall the Pentagram as the symbol of perfected
mankind, having four lower Elemental points and the upper point of Spirit
which is a directing force, once the Elements are in balance. The principle of the
Pyramid is the same, and amplifies the text which describes Chesed as
“measuring and cohesive,” as well as “receptacular,” meaning that it is a
receptacle for the Higher Powers.
In line with the aspects of rulership, to Chesed are also assigned the
Sceptre an the Orb. Both are found in various cards of the Tarot deck. The
sceptre is phallic and relates to Chokmah, while the Orb represents aspects of
Binah. It also suggests the rulership of the Four Kerubim, first found in Kether,
over the manifest kingdom of Microprosopus, formed by Chesed and the next
five Sephiroth.
The final symbol of Chesed is less obvious than the others. This is the
Crook of a Shepherd, or a Bishop in his role as the Pastoral Shepherd. Another
title for Chesed is Love, which in this case means the love of the ruler for his
subjects, or the shepherd for his flock. The Crook is also found in THE
HIEROPHANT, the card of organized religion, which should be carefully
studied in terms of this Chesed symbolism.
Those familiar with Dion Fortune’s work will be aware that she related
the “Masters” to Chesed. Fortune, Bailey and others, have written of such
Masters as human beings evolved beyond the need for earthly incarnation,
remaining by choice to assist the spiritual development of mankind . 78
THE FOURS
Perfection, realization, completion, making a matter settled and
fixed.
FOUR OF WANDS, Lord of Perfected Work (Venus in Aries).
Angels of the Decan: Nanael and Nithal
This is Chesed in Atziluth, the influence of Chesed in the World of Pure
Spirit. Here Venus, the Planet of love and luxury, is activated by the Mars
energies of Aries. If this placement were to occur in an astrological reading it
could mean a brief romance, or warm but fleeting feelings of some sort. But this
is not the precise meaning of Venus in Aries on the FOUR OF WANDS. There
are, in fact, a number of cards where the meaning of Planets in Signs differs
from that commonly accepted, because the card combines Sephirothic and
Patterns of the Sephiroth 81
astrological symbolism. Here it must be kept in mind that the Zodiac is the
Mundane Chakra of Chokmah; it appears in the lowest of the Four Worlds. The
cards represent the totality of that to which the Signs of the Zodiac refer. Venus
in Aries is the outer attribute of the card. The greater meaning is the Chesed
energy, the pure four in the world of Yod-Fire. It is, therefore, a perfection, a
completion of the process initiated by the Supemals.
Crowley uses a very interesting device here, which is the crossing of four
wands, each of which carries the head of the ram (Aries) and the dove (Venus).
Waite’s card is also a play on the wands, using them as the support for a
garland-canopy. This illustrates the card’s meaning of perfected work, settle-
ment and rest after labor.
FOUR OF CUPS, Lord of Blended Pleasure (Moon in Cancer).
Angels of the Decan: Hayayel n) and Mevamayah (ipdid).
This is Chesed in Briah, the influence of Chesed in the unconscious
mental realm. The Moon naturally rules Cancer, and here its alternating flow is
82 The Qabalistic Tarot
mitigated. It is a card of pleasure, but with reservations: in the Golden Dawn
and Crowley cards all of the Cups hold water, but the uppermost ones overflow,
while those beneath do not, suggesting pleasure coming to an end. The energies
of this card are very passive, almost indifferent as Waite’s seated figure
indicates. The meaning in divination is blended pleasure and success, receiving
pleasure but mixed with some slight discomfort and anxieties.
FOUR OF SWORDS, Lord of Rest from Strife (Jupiter in Libra).
Angels of the Decan: Leviah (rp and Kelial .
This is Chesed in Yetzirah, the influence of Chesed in the Astral World.
Swords are generally destructive, but here the love and munificence of Jupiter
triumphs over the cutting qualities of Primal Air and the Golden Dawn Rose (as
in the Chokmah card, TWO OF SWORDS) is restored. Thus, rest from strife is
the meaning of the card. The position of Jupiter in Libra is compassionate and
sensitive, often having religious overtones as are seen in the Waite card. There a
Christ figure is shown, in stained glass, above a resting knight.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 83
FOUR OF PENTACLES, Lord of Earthly Power (Sun in Capricorn).
Angels of the Decan: Keveqiah (rppiD) and Mendial (bhmn).
This is Chesed in Assiah, the material world. It is the fullest expression,
the grounding, of the Chesed energies. Thus Crowley says that this card is like a
“fortress .” 79 His card shows “Law and Order, maintained by constant authority
and vigilence,” each of the four elements being held in balance.
The divinatory meaning comes from the position of the Sun in Capricorn
which, with its light and warmth assures material success, but nothing beyond
the moment. Waite illustrates this condition of assured material gain, and
earthly power completed but nothing beyond.
5. GEBURAH: Strength
The Four Fives
□ The Destroyer
□ The Warrior King
□ The Power of Judgment
□ The Clarifier
□ The Eliminator of the Useless
Symbols: The Pentagon, The
Tudor Rose of Five Petals, the
Sword, the Spear, The Scourge.
Planet: Mars
Color: Red
In Binah is the Radix of Red, and therein is there a red colour,
pure and scintillating and flashing with flame which is reflected
into Geburah. The Sphere of its operation is called Madim or
violent rushing Force and it bringeth fortitude, and war and
strength and slaughter, as it were, the flaming Sword of an
avenging God. And it ruleth the Sphere of Action of the Planet
Mars. And Elohim Gibor is the Elohim, Mighty and Terrible,
judging and avenging evil, ruling in wrath and terror and storm,
and at whose steps are lightning and flame. And its Archangel is
Kamael the Prince of Strength and Courage, and the Name of
the Order of Angels is Seraphim the Flaming Ones who are also
called the Order of Powers. The Sephira Geburah is also called
Pachad, Terror and Fear.
Geburah is the perfect balance of Chesed. As Chesed builds up, Geburah
tears down. As Chesed is loving and merciful, Geburah is terrible and demand-
ing of due.
84 The Qabalistic Tarot
The fifth Sephira, called Strength, is often considered the most difficult
Sephira to approach because its lessons may be so overwhelming and
devastating. It offers a necessary corrective in our lives by tearing away all that
is useless, undesirable or outdated. We see the action of Geburah in the fire
sweeping a blighted and dried forest, in a war which tears down a diseased
society, or in any situation in our lives where we are forced by circumstance to
begin anew. Thus is Mars, the Planet as well as the Roman God of War,
attributed to Geburah.
Often the influence of Geburah is mistakenly considered evil, insofar as
it brings destruction in one form or another. It is, however, a necessary and
Holy force in the universe asserting, often painfully, a requisite balance. In the
Tarot, for example, the Fives are all cards in some way connected with strife, the
degree varying according to the World (Suit) in which they function. But strife
and destruction on the mundane level always brings with it a learning
experience. Who could say that they have experienced a truly difficult situation
in which they have learned nothing?
Geburah is a strict discipline which is ultimately necessary and
positive, and which serves well those who appreciate its virtue. It conveys the
ability to judge clearly, as well as the willingness to be judged. This is described
by the Hermetic axiom: “Watch the Watcher, Examine the Examiner, Judge the
Judge.” Without the warrior sentinal qualities of Geburah, the merciful Chesed
qualities would overflow in an evil imbalance of force. And here we must
reiterate that there is a constant interaction between the two Sephiroth, a flow
and rhythm which is continual.
Dion Fortune points out that “The great weakness of Christianity lies in
the fact that it ignores rhythm. It balances God with Devil instead of Vishnu
with Siva. Its dualisms Eire antagonistic instead of equilibriating, and therefore
can never issue in the functional third in which power is in equilibrium. Its God
is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and does not evolve with an evolving
creation, but indulges in one special creative act and rests on His Laurels.”
In the Qabalistic system this rhythm is most dramatically seen in the
pull between Chesed and Geburah, the left hand which giveth and the right
hand which taketh away. The initiation of Geburah, that of the Adeptus Major
is required before that of Chesed. One must have learned perfect control before
being trusted with the abundance of the Fourth Sephira. And here, the attribute
deriving from the initiation of Geburah is Power.
In the sacred texts, Geburah is related to both Kether and Binah. It is
like Kether (Unity) in that it is a source of great power flowing outward. It unites
itself to Binah in that it tears down the hard structures first envisioned in Binah
and then realized archetypically in Chesed. This is, in effect, an application of
the death potential implicit in the birth through Binah. While the magical
image, that of a bearded warrior in his chariot, is masculine, the primary
qualities of Geburah are feminine. This idea is suggested by the attribution of
the five-petaled rose to Geburah. The rose is the symbol of Venus, a Goddess
closely associated with Mars. We shall see that the energies of the One are
Patterns of the Sephiroth 85
transmitted from Geburah through the Christ center of Tiphareth, into Netzach,
to which Venus is assigned. Moreover, it should be noted that in the Golden
Dawn Tarot the rose is represented on the two, three, four, five, seven and eight
of Swords. The use of this rose, shown variously whole and hewn apart, is parti-
cularly brilliant symbolism on the part of MacGregor Mathers.!
Any five-sided symbol may be related to Geburah, one of which is the
Pentagon, and another of which is the Pentagram. The latter is used in
invoking and banishing, and represents a potent regulation of force. It is only
through the relentless self-discipline of Geburah that the Elemental points of
the Pentagram may be brought into perfect balance in the individual. This is a
fitting symbol for that realm of the Tree directly above the (Tiphareth)
experience of understanding the mutable nature of the Personality in incarna-
tion. In Geburah is a certification that the true forces of the Individual are under
control of the Spirit represented by the uppermost point of the Pentagram, and
an initiation into the actual nature of that Higher Self first encountered in
Tiphareth. The experience has been described as a devastating immersion in
the Fires of Truth, where all that is unworthy is burned away. It has also been
described as a brutal silence of self-assessment.
The other symbols of Geburah are weapons. The Spear represents a
destruction which may be swift and complete, while the Scourge and the Chain
suggest the continual application of great force. This is the difference between
the compensating force which cuts away directly, and that which (as in
meditation) is a slow acting and continuous discipline. The final symbol of
Geburah is the Sword, which bears special mention in that it is one of the “magi-
cal” instruments of the Order of the Golden Dawn. Beside the symbol of the
four Elements (or Tarot suits), the Wand, Cup, Dagger and Pentacle, there are
two additional weapons. These are the Lotus Wand and the Sword. While the
Lotus Wand stands primarily for the Will, and relates to Kether, the Sword
represents the great power exercised by the individual under perfect self-control.
The strength of Geburah is his greatest weapon.
THE FIVES
Opposition, strife and struggle; war, obstacle to the thing in
hand. Ultimate success or failure is otherwise shown.
The fives bring serious problems into all areas symbolized by the
Elements. To Wands (Energy) the Fives bring quarrel and strife; to Cups (Love,
Friendship) the Fives bring the destruction of relationships; to Swords
(Sickness and Trouble) they bring certain defeat in a given matter and to
Pentacles (Business and Money) they bring material hardship. Yet success or
failure is shown by other cards in a divination. The Fives simply announce that
a difficulty exists.
86 The Qabalistic Tarot
FIVE OF WANDS, Lord of Strife (Saturn in Leo).
Angels of the Decan: Vahaviah (fV» 1 til) and Yelayel
This is Geburah in Atziluth, the influence of Geburah in the World of
Pure Spirit. Here the powerful effects of Saturn in Leo, a fire sign, are quarelling
and strife. This card should be compared with the FIVE OF SWORDS, the Lord
of Defeat. The nature of Wands is a continually outpouring force, so the Saturn
influence here is agitating and disturbing rather than signaling a contest
completed. Crowley calls this a “volcanic energy.” 80 His card shows the Golden
Down wand of a Chief Adept crossed by the Phoenix Wand of the Adeptus
Major of Geburah and by the Lotus Wand of the Adeptus Minor of Tiphareth.
This card symbolizes the nature of the energies rather than the conditon of
discord shown by Waite.
FIVE OF CUPS, Lord of Loss in Pleasure (Mars in Scorpio).
Angels of the Decan: Livoyah (n> 1 1(?) and Pehilyah
This is Geburah in Briah, the influence of Geburah in the Mental World.
Mars in the water Sign Scorpio produces an extremely emotional effect. Loss of
Patterns of the Sephiroth 87
that which is loved is symbolized by the once-full Cups on the Golden Dawn and
Crowley cards, and by those overturned at the feet of Waite’s solitary figure. The
watery nature of this card is totally disconsonant with the fiery nature of
Geburah, and means the loss of pleasure. This is also one of the cards which can
mean death if the cards around it are supportive of this interpretation. It may
mean the death of a loved one, not the querant himself.
One element of the Crowley card which may seem peculiar is the
inverted Pentagram, associated with the Devil and evil generally. It is used here
to mean the triumph of matter over spirit.
FIVE OF SWORDS, Lord of Defeat (Venus in Aquarius).
Angels of the Decan: Aniel and Chaamiah (n’nyn).
This is Geburah in Yetzirah, the influence of Geburah in the Astral
World. This card (with the Nine and Ten of Swords) is among the most
destructive in the deck. A relationship has already been noted between the
Sword of Geburah and the Rose of Venus which is also the Rose of the Rose
Cross. They are closely related energies, Mars being the consort of Venus in
mythology. What we are shown in the Golden Dawn card is that when the
Sword of Geburah sweeps through the Air of Yetzirah, the growth energies of
Venus are no match for it, and the petals of the Rose are scattered, literally, to
the winds. Crowley’s card shows this same dispersion of forces behind the
Swords in the shape of the inverted Pentagram. Waite illustrates the divinatory
meaning of the card: defeat, loss, failure, contest finished and decided against
the person.
FIVE OF PENTACLES, Lord of Material Trouble (Mercury in Taurus).
Angels of the Decan: Mibahiah (n’n^n) and Pooyal (twos).
This is Geburah in Assiah, the influence of Geburah in the Material
World. Here a distinction should be understood between material trouble and
88 The Qabalistic Tarot
the ruin of all things implied by the TEN OF SWORDS. The natural structure
brought into Taurus by the energies of Mercury is thrown off by Geburah’s
influence at a higher level. The result, in a divination, is loss of profession and
monetary resources as is suggested by Waite’s rather trite and cliche illustration
of figures “out in the cold.” The more subtle implications of the card are seen in
the Golden Dawn version, where four roses are breaking apart. This symbolism
is amplified by Crowley, whose once more inverted Pentagram carries the
symbols of the five Tattvas, geometric forms meaning Fire, Water, Air, Earth
and Spirit. In the Hindu system, these are the underlying currents of matter,
here shown to be totally unstable in their reversal.
6. TIPHARETH: Beauty
The Four Sixes
The Four Princes
□ God the Son
□ The Sacrificed Gods
□ Consciousness of the Higher
Self and of the Greater Masters
□ The Vision of the Harmony of
Things
□ Healing and Redemption
□ The Elemental Kings
Symbols: The Calvary Cross,
the Rose Cross, the Truncated
Pyramid, the Cube, Vau.
Planet: The Sun
Color: Yellow
1
f
P
m
&
Mi
1
O
ft
Patterns of the Sephiroth 89
In Kether is the Radix of a Golden Glory and thence is there a
pure, primitive and sparkling, gleaming golden yellow which is
reflected into Tiphareth. This is the first reflected Triad com-
pleted. And the sphere of its operation is that of Shemesh, the
Solar Light, and bestoweth Life, Light and Brilliancy in metallic
matter, and it ruleth the sphere of action and of the Sun. And
YHVH Eloah va-Daath is a God of Knowledge and Wisdom,
ruling over the Light of the Universe; and its Archangel is
Raphael, the Prince of Brightness, Beauty and Life. And the
Name of the Order of Angels is Melechim, that is Kings or
Angelic Kings, who are also called the Order of Virtues, Angels
and Rulers.
The initiation of Tiphareth is the first of the greater initiations into the
meaning of the Self. Here the individual encounters his own Higher Self, and
sacrifices his personality, that which he has hitherto believed to be himself. And
while this description may appear glib, the initiation of Tiphareth is literally a
losing of what one has known to be life, a sacrifice of that fife for a greater
reality. This is the real meaning of the passage: “For whosoever shall save his
life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” 81
A sacrifice, in these terms does not mean the relinquishment of some-
thing much desired, rather, it is what has been described as the “translation
of force from one form to another.” This is a translation of force directed by
the Will.
Once more, nothing on the Tree of Life is static. God grows, unlike
exoteric Christianity where, at its most primitive fundamentalist level, exis-
tence is viewed as a simple dichotomy between good and evil, the Qabalah
describes a Universal Energy (The One) which goes through varying condi-
tions. We, ourselves, through a natural process of evolution, become different
gods in turn, and sacrifice one principle to another.
Tiphareth is the center of the Tree of Life and, as such, is called the
“Mediating Intelligence.” The powers of all the other Sephiroth flow into it,
where they stand balanced and sanctified. The vision of Tiphareth is of the
Universal Harmony, a vision also linked to its nature as a healing center where
all is brought into harmonious interworking. It is the center, also, of the Planets.
In the Hexagram, each of the six points represents a planet (and a planetary
Sephira), with the Sun at the middle of the figure (Figure 16).
Tiphareth is the Light of the Soul, on which the life of the Soul depends.
In the same way, the physical manifestation of Tiphareth, the Sun, provides the
light and life support for the earth.
Throughout all serious esoteric writings, the term Light repeatedly
appears, and it may seem that this is a metaphor about the Spiritual condition.
But reference to Light is not metaphorical; it is descriptive. Those with even
minimal experience of the inner worlds will attest to the fact that much of the
inspired literature of the East and West, interpreted by theologians as merely
symbol, is a strikingly accurate description of spiritual experience.
90 The Qabalistic Tarot
Figure 16. Attribution of Planets to the Hexagram. Planetary angles are attributed
according to the Tree of Life. The Supernals are represented by Saturn, which is related
to Binah.
The search for direct experience of this Light is the “Great Work” of the
Personality in incarnation, and devotion to the Great Work is the virtue
assigned to Tiphareth. The principle involved is that when the individual man
improves himself in some way, that improvement works to the benefit of the
entire human race. Moreover, as it was put by the Egyptian astronomer
Ptolemy, in his Centiloquy: “A sagacious mind improves the operation of the
heavens as a skillful farmer, by cultivation, improves nature.” 82 Ultimately, the
Great Work is the work of return to the Godhead from which the Universe
emanated.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 91
To deal with the mysteries of Tiphareth, one must first have undergone
the initiations of Earth, Air, Water and Fire (Malkuth, Yesod, Hod and Netzach,
respectively). No matter how a religious or esoteric cultus, whether Christianity,
Buddhism or Qabalism, may describe the various component parts of the
Personality, or the initiation of the four lower Sephiroth, an integration must be
undergone before the descent of the Light which is God the Son. This
integration is a personal atonement for the Fall. In Tiphareth is the Re-
demption.
As the Spirit in Tiphareth is King over the four Elemental aspects which
are the Personality, so the rulers of the actual Elemental Kingdoms of Earth,
Air, Water and Fire are found in Tiphareth. These are the Malachim, elementals
who are Kings over the other elements because they have gained immortality.
This occurs only through the intervention of human beings. Man is, in fact, the
initiator of the Elementals.
There is another very common biblical reference which takes on an
extraordinary meaning when interpreted in Qabalistic terms: “Except ye be
converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven.” 83 Entering the Divine Light of Tiphareth is a renewal, a “conversion,”
or a “turning around,” as the Greek word is often translated. The result of the
experience is to become a child in a new world. So, The Child (which will, by
definition grow into manhood within the new experience) is attributed to
Tiphareth. Tiphareth is the Child who grows to adulthood and takes Malkuth
(our material earth) as his bride. At the same time, Chokmah and Binah
themselves were produced by the Will of the Eternal Father in Kether. Thus
Tiphareth, on the Middle Pillar, the Pillar of Equilibrium, is God the Son.
Readers who encountered this idea for the first time, as it related to the
Court cards in An Introduction to the Golden Dawn Tarot, may have found it an
appealing fairy tale: The King and Queen marry and give birth to a Prince, who
marries the Princess, etc. But this is not mere fancy, it is an anthropromorphic
symbolism explaining the operation of the n 1 n 7 wherever it appears. Tiphareth
is the Prince, the Vau, of the formula.
But Tiphareth is also the realm of the Sacrificed Gods, Christ, Buddha,
Osiris and others. So we understand that the Prince must die in order that the
Universal Cycle be renewed.
There are a number of key symbols related to Tiphareth, of which the
first is a figure based on six. This is the Cube, a form taken twice-over in the
double cube altar of Malkuth. Another six-sided figure, attributed to the
Sephira, is the Pyramid which is truncated or, in essence, has its top cut off.
This pyramid represents Adam Kadmon, the six lower Sephiroth. It is the
Archetypal Man, above whom are the Heavenly Supernals, Binah, Chokmah
and Kether. The Supernals are the completion of the pyramid.
Another important Tiphareth symbol is the Calvary Cross, properly
shown as black, surrounded by a circle, and mounted on three steps. This is the
Cross of Wisdom through Sacrifice. The Rose Cross and Rose Cross Lamen are
also powerful Tiphareth symbols.
92 The Qabalistic Tarot
THE SIXES
Definite accomplishment and carrying out of a matter.
The underlying characteristic of all of the sixes is success which results
from effort. In Atziluth, world of energy, this means victory. In Briah, world of
pleasure, happiness is brought about after work to that end. In Yetzirah, world
of quarreling and strife, success is earned by the strife itself. And in Assiah,
world of business and commerce among men, this means material success.
SIX OF WANDS, Lord of Victory (Jupiter in Leo).
Angels of the Decan: Saitel (bKD’O) and Olmiah (iVni?y).
This is Tiphareth in Atziluth, the influence of Tiphareth in the World of
Pure Spirit. The benevolence of Jupiter, in the fiery Sign Leo, brings success and
possibly warm relationships. It is an aspect suggesting drama to some extent,
and of victory which follows great effort. A perfect balance of powers is shown
by the crossed wands which, in Crowley’s card are those of the three Adepts in
Golden Dawn ritual. Waite emphasizes the idea of victory after strife with his
mounted figure.
SIX OF CUPS, Lord of Pleasure (Sun in Scorpio).
Angels of the Decan: Nelokhiel (blOin) and Yeyayel » >).
This is Tiphareth in Briah, the influence of Tiphareth in the Mental
World. As Tiphareth in Atziluth means Victory after effort, so Tiphareth in the
Watery world means the beginning of pleasure. Scorpio is a sign of hidden
qualities, a sign of discrimination and magnetism. The scorpion may sting
where the Will directs. So as the Sun activates the Scorpio energies, the gain or
pleasure commences. There is the implication, though not the assurance, that it
Patterns of the Sephiroth 93
will build. The Golden Dawn and Crowley cards show partially-filled Cups,
while the Waite card suggests the beginning of pleasure by flowers emerging
from the Cups.
SIX OF SWORDS, Lord of Earned Success (Mercury in Aquarius).
Angels of the Decan: Rehaayal and Yeyeziel (t>NT”).
This is Tiphareth in Yetzirah, the influence of Tiphareth in the Astral
World. Saturn is the ruler of Aquarius, and here exerts its stablizing power on
the fleeting qualities of Mercury in that Air Sign. The success is the result of
Saturn’s work in this aspect. Thus the card is called the Lord of “Earned”
Success. Here, again, the cutting qualities of Swords are turned to positive
advantage, and the Golden Dawn Rose is resurrected after having been torn
apart by the five warring Swords of Geburah. In Golden Dawn symbolism,
crossed Swords are the positive power of Air. The Swords which do not touch
one another are the negative power of Air. And where the Swords come together
and touch one another, or the Rose, they may be positive or negative.
94 The Qabalistic Tarot
Crowley’s card is particularly interesting in that the Swords meet at the
very center of a Rose Cross of six gold squares, which he explained as meaning
“the Rose Cross as the central secret of scientific truth.” 84 Here again, the way
of the Cross is that of suffering, which tends to underscore the meaning of this
card as success after anxiety and trouble. The great dificulty with which reward
is obtained is shown by Waite’s boatman, carrying souls across the river of
spirit.
SIX OF PENTACLES, Lord of Material Success (Moon in Taurus).
Angels of the Decan: Nemamiah and Yeyelal.
This is Tiphareth in Assiah, the Material World. The changing qualities
of the Moon, its natural flow, its charm and subtleties, are merged with the hard
work and deliberate earth qualities of Taurus. The result is sure success in
business and other mundane areas.
Only Crowley’s card requires explanation. He has abstracted the
Hexagram around Tiphareth (refer again to Figure 16) with its planetary
symbols, adding a central Rose-Cross of forty-nine (7 X 7) petals.
THE PRINCES
These Princes are seated in chariots, and thus borne forward.
They represent the Vau Forces of the Name in each suit; The
Mighty Son of the King, and the Queen, who realizes the
influences of both scales of Force; A prince, the son of a King and
Queen, yet a Prince of Princes, and a King of Kings. An Emperor,
whose effect is at once rapid (though not so swift as that of a
King) and enduring (though not as steadfast as that of a Queen).
It is therefore symbolized by a figure borne in a chariot, and
clothed with armour. Yet is his power illusionary, unless set in
motion by his Father and Mother.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 95
The Princes are very complex cards in that they are wholly activated by
the King and Queen. As the text suggests, they have no motive power of their
own, being pulled along in their chariots. But, from the standpoint of the
enlightened Tarot, these cards are all-important. First, it will be seen that the
Lion, Eagle, Man (Arch Fairies here) and Bull, are the Four Kerubim. These are
very ancient symbols of the elements, attached to many different religions.
They appear among the Gods of the Assyrians; they are the Four Animals in the
Old Testament vision of Ezekiel; they are the four symbols of the Christian
Evangelists, they are the rulers of the Four Elements of the Qabalah. In Kether
are the Primordial Elements, which become the united rulers of the Elements in
Tiphareth, and which are individually expressed in Malkuth.
The Princes are the personified forces (Kings) of those elements brought
into perfect balance in Tiphareth. If the cards are set out in a row- Wands,
Cups, Swords and Pentacles - the Golden Light of Spirit may be imagined as
permeating the four, and directing the Kerubim to pull the chariots. These are
the most refined aspects of the Personality; they are the Elemental Kings in
ourselves. As such, the Princes may be taken in any direction by the Divine Will.
The energy of the PRINCE OF WANDS may be applied with justice or with
cruelty; the unconscious flow of the PRINCE OF CUPS may be subtle and
artistic, or it may be very evil; the mental activities of the PRINCE OF
SWORDS, ideas, may be creative or destructive; the material qualities of the
PRINCE OF PENTACLES may cause growth for good or evil.
The Princes may provide a point of entry for true understanding of the
Tarot deck as a tool of enlightenment. And here the utility of the Princesses may
also become clear, for they are the grounding of the lessons of the Princes on our
material plane.
It will now be appreciated why the Princes, in a divination, often
represent the coming and going of an event or person, and the Princesses often
represent approval or disapproval of a matter.
PRINCE OF WANDS, Prince of the Chariot of Fire, Prince and Emperor of the
Salamanders. (Last Decan of Cancer— first two Decans of Leo).
96 The Qabalistic Tarot
The Prince of Wands is Air of Fire, Specific Air of Primal Fire. In the
Golden Dawn and Crowley cards, his chariot is drawn by the Lion of Leo,
symbolizing enormous strength which may be turned in either direction, and
which has the potential for violence if angered. In the Golden Dawn card the
Prince holds the Elemental Fire Wand, while Crowley’s Prince holds the
Phoenix Wand associated with the fiery Sephira, Geburah.
Generally, the Princes (Knights) in the Marseilles and Waite decks are
unexceptional, and need not be discussed.
PRINCE OF CUPS, Prince of the Chariot of the Waters, Prince and Emperor of
Nymphs and Undines (Last Decan of Libra -first two Decans of Scorpio).
The Prince of Cups is Air of Water, Specific Air of Primal Water. Here
again, the Golden Dawn version is the inspiration for that of Crowley, both
emphasizing the water Lotus, and the Serpent issuing from a Cup. Wherever the
Serpent appears it is generally a reference to Chokmah, the Divine Wisdom, the
Yod Force; here it has the fiery, menacing qualities of Scorpio. The Cup, held by
the Prince, is Heh, and encloses the Yod -Serpent. As Vau, the Prince carries out
the activities of the Yod and Heh combined; here is Water. The chariot itself is
pulled across the water by an Eagle, water symbol among the four Kerubic
emblems. At another level, the suggestion is that the calm appearance of Water
may hold violent and fiery energies, like sulphuric acid, which appears entirely
benign until it has something upon which to act. Water symbolizes the personal,
group, or universal Unconscious which bears dynamic energies.
PRINCE OF SWORDS, Prince of the Chariots of the Winds, Prince and
Emperor of Sylphs and Sylphides (Last Decan of Capricorn - first two Decans
of Aquarius).
The Prince of Swords is Air of Air, Specific Air of Primal Air. There is
significant Yesod — Moon symbolism here in that this is a card of mind. The
dual Fairies of the Golden Dawn card, and the three winged children of
Patterns of the Sephiroth 97
Crowley’s suggest that (like the mind itself) the chariot may be pulled
capriciously in any direction. In the right hand of the Prince is the Sword which
invokes and creates, but in his left is the sickle which immediately destroys that
which is created. In the Golden Dawn card the repeated Pentagrams are a
reference to the Sword of Geburah. But as the Prince’s crest is a child’s head
with a Pentagram on its forehead, we are told here that this Prince wields the
Sword with childlike innocence. This is an extension of the same symbolism
found in the QUEEN OF SWORDS.
PRINCE OF PENTACLES, Prince of the Chariot of Earth, Prince and Emperor
of the Gnomes (Last Decan of Aries — first two Decan of Taurus).
The Prince of Pentacles is Air of Earth, Specific Air of Primal Earth. In
the Golden Dawn card he holds a wand of earthly dominion in his right hand,
and an inverted Orb (material force grossly applied) in his left. The chariot is
pulled by the powerful bull of Taurus. Crowley explained his version of this card
in considerable depth, emphasizing the meditative qualities of the Prince. “He
is,” Crowley said, “the element of earth become intelligible .” 86
98 The Qabalistic Tarot
7. NETZACH: Victory
The Four Sevens
□ Love
□ Feelings and Instincts
□ The Group Mind
□ Nature
□ The Arts
Symbols: The Girdle, The Rose,
the Lamp.
Planet: Venus
Color: Green
The beams of Chesed and Geburah meet in Netzach and thence
in Netzach arises a green, pure, brilliant, liquid and gleaming
like an emerald. And the Sphere of its operations is that of
Nogah or External Splendour, producing zeal, love, harmony,
and it ruleth the Sphere of Action of the Planet Venus and the
nature of the Vegetable World. And Jehovah Tzabaoth is a God
of Hosts and of Armies, of Triumph and of Victory, ruling the
universe in Justice and Eternity. And its Archangel Hanial is
the Prince of Love and Harmony, and the Name of the Order of
Angels is Elohim, or Gods who are also called the Order of
Principalities.
Each of the Sephiroth on the Pillar of Mercy begins a sequence.
Chokmah is the primary force toward manifestation in the Supernal Triangle.
Chesed is the organizing idea behind the first form, and the first Sephira of the
Ethical Triangle, Netzach begins the Astral Triangle, and is the first of the
Sephiroth making up the Personality.
The Personality is viewed as being composed of four Elements, each of
which is represented by one of the lower Sephiroth. In this is a reflection of the
familiar mn» formula, and of the familiar sequence of Fire, Water, Air and
Earth. These are the Astral Elements. Netzach is Fire, a lower form of the Yod-
Fire of Chokmah, reflected from Geburah through Tiphareth. Hod is Water, a
lower form of the Heh-Water of Binah, reflected from Chesed through
Tiphareth. Yesod is Air and Malkuth is Earth. It will be noted that the final Heh
of the Divine Name is attributed to Malkuth in every instance, for this final Heh
is the result of the “Fall.”
The attribution of the four Elements to these lower Sephiroth may
appear to add one more frustrating complication to the Qabalistic system. But,
in fact, we have now reached the point on the Tree of Life where normal waking
consciousness may apply. It is with the Astral Triangle and the component
parts of the Personality, that any serious student may deal. The Order of the
Golden Dawn introduced its members to the Inner Planes through a system of
Patterns of the Sephiroth 99
Tattva exercises, a sort of controlled “day dream” intended to bring the
individual into direct contact with the subtle Elemental realms immediately
underlying the material sphere of sensation. This method was considered
preparatory to the more advanced techniques of skrying with the Tarot cards,
and to the most advanced and dangerous techniques of skrying with the
squares of the Enochian Tablets. Suffice it to say here that the astral realm,
begun with Netzach, is the realm of illusion (maya).
Netzach cannot be considered without Hod, its balance and opposite. For
as Netzach represents the instincts and emotions, Hod represents the intellect.
Feelings unchecked by reason, and reason unchecked by feelings, can be very
destructive. It is through the proper balance of feeling and reason that one is
able to rise, on the Middle Pillar, to the higher consciousness of Tiphareth.
Netzach is a particularly difficult Sephira to understand. This is partly
because it represents the first undifferentiated projections of Tiphareth, and
partly because it must be approached from the standpoints of both the
Macrocosm and the Microcosm. When we deal with the Tree of Life, we are
dealing with the patterns of the race of mankind, and with the patterns of the
individual. But one of the lessons of the Mysteries is the extent to which this
dichotomy is, in itself, an illusion.
On the one hand, Netzach is the undifferentiated Soul of Mankind, often
described as the “Group Mind.” The spark of the individual mind (appreciating
again that this is described as a fiery Sephira) is a part of that group which, as it
becomes self-comprehending, also comprehends the whole. For example,
Netzach is the area on the Tree of Life to which the arts, music, painting, poetry,
etc., are attributed. Every artist uses the qualities of Netzach, drawing his
creative imagination from it (although to produce a serious work, that feeling
must be tempered by the discipline of Hod-Reason). As the artist increasingly
develops the ability to “create,” and to understand the nature of his own
creative act, he also develops an understanding of the nature of the arts in
general. The same may be said for a scientist, who functions through Hod, the
Sephira where the general becomes specific.
The balance of Netzach and Hod may be shown in a simple diagram:
NETZACH
HOD
Feelings and Instincts —
► Intellect
Undifferentiated
>- Individual
Group Mind
► Beginnings of Individual Mind
In view of this balance, it will be easily appreciated that Netzach is the
Sephira to which the forces of Nature are attributed, its angels being the
Elohim. They are also called Gods in that they are so for the Personality in
incarnation and for mankind as a race. They are the Gods of the lower sequence
of the Tetragrammaton. Netzach is also the sphere of Venus-Aphrodite, the
Goddess of Love. And as the title of the Sephira is Victory, it is to be understood
that the Victory is in love.
100 The Qabalistic Tarot
What is called “love,” particularly as it relates to Gods and religious
systems, is often misunderstood. The misunderstanding has to do with the very
nature of the Gods themselves. It has been said that “The Gods are the
Creations of the Created. . . the Gods are emanations of the Group Mind of
Races; they are not emanations of Eheieh, the One and Eternal.” The reference
to the Group Mind states, in essence, that the Gods are of Netzach. This idea is
graphically summed up in the diagram of the symbol of Venus, which
encompasses the entire Tree of Life (Figure 17). It will also be recalled that the
Order of the Golden Dawn declared itself to be under the rulership of Venus.
Figure 17. The Symbol of Venus on the Tree of Life. This encompasses all of the ten
Sephiroth.
The point here is that there are no Gods, save those potent forces which
we have formed in our own image, to serve our needs. There is nothing but us.
We are the above and the below of the Emerald Tablet. We are at once, the many
and the One. We are all that is, though we draw our strength from the Divine
Unmanifest which is not. Thus, the manner in which we behave toward one
another is of far greater import than is generally appreciated. The love of one’s
fellow man, the love of God, any sexual relationship which is a psychic balance
and, in fact, any balanced exchange of energy between individuals assists the
race in the “Great Work” of returning to the Primal state from which itevolved.
It is for this reason that Netzach is described as a Sephira of polarities.
In Netzach we are considering a Sephira on the masculine pillar with a
female goddess attached to it. However, the attribution of specific sexual
characteristics labeled “male” and “female” is appropriate only to our own
sphere of sensation. What is found in Netzach is the interplay of Mars and
Venus. As was previously discussed, Geburah has certain Venus qualities,
symbolized by the Rose; Netzach has certain Mars qualities, indicated by the
attribution of Fire. Moreover, n 1 rp Tzabaoth is the God of Hosts and of
Armies.
The relationship between Netzach and Geburah, and that of Hod and
Chesed may be slightly confusing when considered in terms of the emanation of
the Sephiroth on the Path of the Flaming Sword. That Path is important in that
it indicates both the sequence in which the Universe evolved, and the course by
Patterns of the Sephiroth 101
which the Seeker (save those who choose the devotional Path of the Middle
Pillar) may return. However, this does not represent the balance and inter-
relationships of energies on the completed Tree of Life.
There are three key symbols related to Netzach. These are the Rose, the
Girdle and the Lamp. The Rose is the most perfect of flowers, an attribute of
Venus often associated with love. The Girdle, also, is a traditional Venus
attribute. To learn the secret of the knot in her girdle, means to direct the Venus
forces of nature, to tie them up, or to release them at will. The final symbol is the
Lamp, the bearer of Fire, relating Netzach to Geburah and the powerful,
warring, forces of Mars. At another level, it is the ever-burning light of the
Temple of the Lower Self.
THE SEVENS
Generally shows a force, transcending the material plane, and is
like unto a crown which is indeed powerful hut requireth one
capable of wearing it. The sevens then show a positive result
which is dependant on the action then taken. They depend much
on the symbols that accompany them.
SEVEN OF WANDS, Lord of Valor (Mars in Leo).
Angels of the Decan: Mahashiah (h>enn) and Lelahel .
This is Netzach in Atziluth, the influence of Netzach in the World of
Pure Spirit. The position of Mars in Leo is one of courage and strength, but with
threatening overtones: a fiery clash is certain, but victory in the fray is not.
It will be noted that the basic pattern was established with the
Marseilles card which uses six crossed Wands and one central one. In adapting
this design Crowley again uses the wands of the three Golden Dawn Adepts, but
crosses them with a very crude club to suggest that the battle in this card may
be a disordered and disorganized one of uncertain results. Waite illustrates the
idea of opposition and possible victory, depending upon the amount of courage
exercised.
102 The Qabalistic Tarot
SEVEN OF CUPS, Lord of Illusory Success (Venus in Scorpio).
Angels of the Decan: Melchel (t>Nnt>n) and Chahaviah (il’inn)
This is Netzach in Briah, the influence of Netzach in the Mental World.
Venus in Scorpio is extremely intense and emotional, often involving deceit.
Sometimes this is dissipation, a wallowing in emotions, or a self-deception. It
can certainly be a card of egocentricity and selfishness. And, although the
Golden Dawn card shows the Cups to be completely empty, one might believe
them to be full as Waite shows. Crowley, on the other hand, implies that there is
a great warning in this card. His lotuses have become ugly and slimy, a
perversion of the sacrament of the Cup in Six, possibly brought about by the
inflation of ego. Thus, the divinatory meaning of the card is error, illusion and
illusionary success.
SEVEN OF SWORDS, Lord of Unstable Effort (Moon in Aquarius).
Angels of the Decan: Michael (bfO’n) and Hahihel
This is Netzach in Yetzirah, the influence of Netzach in the Astral
World. In the Golden Dawn card the Rose is restored, for it is a symbol primary
Patterns of the Sephiroth 103
to Venus, who rules Netzach. But the Swords are precariously balanced against
it, one against the other, an idea also expressed by Crowley’s six planetary
Swords aimed against the larger one of the Sun. It is not entirely clear what is
going on, particularly in the Waite card, which is genuinely enigmatic. And that
is the point, for in divination this card means unstable effort, vascillation and
untrustworthy character.
The Moon in Aquarius indicates sociability, often religious inclination;
the Moon is less fluid and changeable here than in other positions. However, the
balances which it establishes are precarious and easily upset.
SEVEN OF PENTACLES, Lord of Success unfulfilled (Saturn in Taurus).
Angels of the Decan: Herochiel ()Kfnn) and Mitzrael (twiyn).
This is Netzach in Assiah, the influence of Netzach in the material
world. As with the rest of the Sevens, there is very little good to be gained.
Saturn in Taurus brings disappointment, and a great deal of work for little
reward.
8. HOD: Splendor
The Four Eights
□ Reason
□ The Individual Mind
□ Systems: Magic, Science
□ Contact point of the Masters
□ Language and Visual Images
Symbols: Names and Versicles,
Apron.
Planet: Mercury
Color: Orange
104 The Qabalistic Tarot
The beams of Geburah and Tiphareth meet in Hod and thence
arises in Hod a brilliant pure and flashing orange tawny. And
the Sphere of its Operation is that of Kokab, the stellar light,
bestowing elegance, swiftness, scientific knowledge and art, and
constancy of speech, and it ruleth the sphere of the action of the
planet Mercury. And Elohim Tzabaoth is also a God of Hosts
and of Armies, of Mercy and Agreement, of Praise and Honour,
ruling the Universe in Wisdom and Harmony. And its Archangel
is Michael, the Prince of Splendour and of Wisdom, and the
Name of its order of Angels is Beni Elohim, or Sons of the Gods,
who are also called the Order of Archangels.
Hod is the concrete mind. It is the sphere of Mercury, and to it are
attributed all that is intellectually systematized, such as the magical arts,
literature, science and commerce.
It is at the base of the Pillar of Form beneath Binah, as Netzach is at the
base of the Pillar of Force beneath Chokmah. And in these two lower Sephiroth
is seen the same balance of form and force found in the Supemals. The
difference is that this pattern is expressable in terms which can be conceptua-
lized and understood by our minds. While in Chokmah and Binah it was
necessary to speak in the most abstract and symbolic terms, such as the “idea of
outpouring force,” or “the idea of form which restricts force,” we are now
dealing with concepts which can be immediately understood in terms of the
make-up of the individual personality. The symbolism is closer to home. In the
human personality the Fire of Netzach is the animal intuition, while the Water
of Hod is the concrete, rational, mind.
The Tarot, often called the “Book of Thoth,” is referred to Hod. Thoth
(Egyptian), Hermes (Greek) and Mercury (Roman) are different names of the
same God. Each is a messenger, patron of learning and teacher of the mysteries.
All language (a carrier of messages) relates to Hod.
In the Golden Dawn version of the tenth card of the Tarot, THE WHEEL
OF FORTUNE, the dog-headed ape at the bottom is Cynocephalus , companion
of Thoth. It was also the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for writing. Cynoce-
phalus related to the Moon, as Thoth related to Mercury. And in ancient
astronomy the Moon was believed to follow Mercury like a faithful dog (note the
dogs in all versions of THE MOON, Key 18). By extension of this idea we
understand that language is the faithful companion of the student of the
Mysteries. Words of power are his greatest instrument.
This is the reason that Names and Versicles relate to Hod. It is not easy
to persuade natural doubters that a word, properly vibrated, can have a
powerful effect on the inner planes. Yet the effect of words on our own plane is
obvious. Who can be indifferent to words such as “I love you,” or “I hate you.”
But to be effective, words must have feeling behind them. In the same way that
“I love you,” or “I hate you” sound strange and empty unless expressed with
emotion, the Words of Power of Hod are only effective when they are projected
with the intense feelings of Netzach. In other words, the dynamic energy of
Patterns of the Sephiroth 105
Netzach is brought to bear through the vehicle of the words. This is the reason
that so many fail in their attempts at ritual. Words alone will not suffice; the
form of Hod is useless without the force of Netzach. And the reverse is also true.
Those who approach esoteric studies with great vitality and enthusiasm
but lack the discipline of Hod are wasting their time. And those who fail to bring
the intuition of Netzach to bear on the many words written about the inner
sciences will quickly decide that the “Hermetic Mysteries” are pedantic and
lifeless.
It is said that whosoever learns to pronounce the name of God, m rp ,
will be master of the Universe. And when we see that the Qabalistic fourfold
division encompasses many names (attributes of the One), each of which
requires a different learning experience to “pronounce,” the statement makes
special sense. The names of the system are of Hod, but the beginning of the
ability to properly use them is in Netzach, whose Gods encompass the whole
Tree.
Form is limitation. It is restriction. There can be no form without a force
which is in some way restricted. So found in Hod are the dynamic qualities of
the Netzach force, which are limited in order that they can be dealt with through
our normal process of thought. This limitation takes the form of both language
and visual image, which are a far more interchangeable currency than some
might believe. They are both sets of comprehensible symbols agreed upon by
societies for the transmission of messages. We know that language is artificial
and has no intrinsic qualities of its own. The same is true for visual images,
such as the Sign of the Cross, the Tarot cards, or even what we perceive to be a
tree on this earth. These are carriers of idea, which are neutral in themselves.
For this reason, the Hermaphrodite is the magical image of Hod.
It is in Hod that the carriers of idea are separated out. In evolution, Hod
completes the Pillar of Form. It is a stabilizing balance to the completion of
Force, a balance which is modified in Yesod and emanates our material world in
Malkuth. Hod and Netzach (like Geburah and Chesed) are effective only when
their energies are actively merged in a third Sephira. In this case, we see the
merger of Mercury (Hod) and Venus (Netzach) giving rise to the Moon (Yesod).
The second major symbol of Hod, The Apron, also refers to the Moon, as
does Thoth himself in one aspect. This Apron is a traditional Masonic symbol.
It is the symbol of the builder who is the craftsman of the Mysteries, and one
which, when worn, covers the sexual organs attributed to Yesod. And, as we
move to consider Yesod, we shall see the extent to which the manipulation of
sexual energies is the basis of all practical work.
So, in the great scheme of return toward the Godhead from our material
condition, Hod is a primary point, a point of conceptual transfer. Here the
masters first contact their chosen disciplines, clothing themselves in forms
comprehensible to the human mind. Here are presented to the student the
formal tools of the Hermetic Path (as opposed to the Orphic Path of Netzach, or
the Devotional Path of the Middle Pillar).
All of this is a great deal less mysterious than it may seem. It may
appear that to deal with Hod (or any other Sephira) means only the projection of
106 The Qabalistic Tarot
oneself into this sphere, by ritual or meditative techniques. These are, of course,
important. But we use the forces of Hod whenever we immerse ourselves in
the documents of the Mysteries, or whenever we approach anything intellec-
tually. The Sephiroth are integral parts of ourselves, in a state of constant
activity. The principle of the practical Qabalah is that we turn our conscious
attention toward a particular aspect of ourselves, and thereby gain access to the
corresponding part of the greater Universe. As there are four hundred Trees of
Life, we function consciously at the highest level which our spiritual develop-
ment will allow.
One final point which must be made is that while Mercury is the teacher
of the Mysteries he is also the God of deceit and trickery. One writer recently
suggested that this aspect partly represents the “adaptability” required for
esoteric work, and conferred by the Hod energies. But, as has been said, the
whole Astral realm seeks to deceive. When we deal with the astral images, we do
so with all of the perceptual vulnerability of our human minds. We are
particularly susceptible to this in the alternately bright and murky sphere of
Yesod. And it is in Hod that we begin to understand the mechanisms of our
perceptions.
THE EIGHTS
Generally show solitary success; i.e., success in the matter for the
time being, but not leading to much result apart from the thing
itself.
EIGHT OF WANDS, Lord of Swiftness (Mercury in Sagittarius).
Angels of the Decan: Nithahiah (fPiinj) and Haayah (rPNNn).
This is Hod in Atziluth, the influence of Hod in the World of Pure Spirit.
Mercury is not well placed here; it is in its detriment in Sagittarius. Its energies
are mitigated and quickly expended in the Sign of the Archer, a phenomenon
which Crowley has likened to electricity in his card. The divinatory meaning is
swiftness or rapidity.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 107
EIGHT OF CUPS, Lord of Abandoned Success (Saturn in Pisces).
Angels of the Decan: Vavaliah (fPtni) and Yelahiah ( fP ntP) .
This is Hod in Briah, the influence of Hod in the Mental World. Saturn in
the Water Sign Pisces brings about subtle problems, and a certain introspection
which manifests as a sense of disinterest with the material condition. The effect
of water on Saturn is to produce discontent, the abandoned success, or decline of
interest in anything which this card means. That idea is shown by Waite’s
figure which walks away from the Cups.
EIGHT OF SWORDS, Lord of Shortened Force (Jupiter in Gemini).
Angels of the Decan: Vemibael and Yehohel (!?KiiiP).
This is Hod in Yetzirah, the influence of Hod in the Astral World. The
weakness of Jupiter (expansiveness), here in its detriment, allows the natural
dualities of Gemini to affect its positive energies. They are cut back or
shortened, by a desire to go first in one direction and then another. The
application of Jupiter force in this sign may be erratic and unstable, or it may be
108 The Qabalistic Tarot
intense and positive, though brief in duration. Crowley attempts to show this by
making all eight Swords different. Waite, on the other hand, illustrated the
effect of this condition of energies: shortened force, narrowness or restriction, a
prison.
EIGHT OF PENTACLES, Lord of Prudence (Sun in Virgo)
Angels of the Decan: Akaiah (tPfON) and Kehethel (^Ntino).
This is Hod in Assiah, the influence of Hod in the material World. The
planetary aspect here is a very practical one which tends to cause concern with
small details. Like the rest of the eights, any gain which may appear is limited,
and “Prudence” is no great virtue. Waite’s craftsman illustrates the meaning of
the card in divination, skill, prudence, and overcarefulness about small things,
at the expense of the great.
9. YESOD: The Foundation
The Four Nines
□ The Astral light
□ The Storehouse of Images
□ The Cyclic Energies underlying
Matter
Symbols: The Perfume and
Sandals
Planet: The Moon
Color: Violet
The beams of Chesed and Geburah meet in Yesod, and thence
ariseth in Yesod a brilliant deep violet-purple or puce, and thus is
Patterns of the Sephiroth 109
the third Triad completed. And the sphere of its operation is that
of Levanah, the Lunar beam, bestowing change, increase and
decrease upon created things and it ruleth the Sphere of Action
of the Moon and the nature of mankind. And Shaddai is a God
who sheddeth benefits. Omnipotent and Satisfying, and A1 Chai
is the God of Life, the Living One. Its Archangel is Gabriel, the
Prince of Change and Alteration. And the name of the Order of
Angels is Kerubim or Kerubic Ones who are also called the Order
of Angels.
As we approach the ninth Sephira what has previously been considered
theoretically may become very practical. In Yesod are those energies, directly
underlying the material world, which are manipulated in various forms of
meditation and in what is called “Magic.” These currents are known as the
Astral Light or Akashic Fluid. In the mid-nineteenth century Von Reichenbach,
one of the first scientific investigators of psychic phenomenon, described this as
the Odic Force, 81 a term still occasionally employed. Whatever this energy is
called, it is an energy which each person has the capacity to experience within
himself and to profoundly develop. Everyone feels the presence of the Astral
Light, though most dismiss it as a generalized neurological stimulation,
attributable to some vague physical cause. It may be felt as an overall tingling
sensation, or as a pervasive warmth often resulting from prayer or sexual
stimulation. A few discover that this feeling can be intensified, and the energy
made to move around the body at will.
This force is sexual, and it is seen that in Microprosopus Yesod covers
the generative organs. Those who excite this force through meditation, prayer,
sexual stimulation or ritual methods, do so using precisely the same mental
mechanisms. It has been said that God is sex, and the records of ecstatic union
made by those such as Saint Theresa are highly erotic. When the Astral Light of
Yesod, the sexual forces, are directed consciously, and circulated throughout the
body as in the Qabalistic Exercise of the Middle Pillar, the effect can be
overwhelming.
The Astral Light has often been described as an electrical, or magnetic
current. Indeed, as one “brings down the Light,” the effect is of one’s body being
highly charged. Yet this is an energy which is plastic. It is mentally maleable.
Not only can it be circulated throughout the body, or projected in certain
spiritual operations, but it is the raw material from which visual images are
built on the Astral Plane.
Each individual has an Etheric Body (which leaves the physical body
naturally in sleep, or is consciously projected by the adept), formed of the Astral
Light. Thus, Yesod is termed the Foundation. It is that which activates the Four
Elements of Malkuth, repeating a pattern seen throughout the entire Tree,
beginning at Kether: four elements which are rooted in a fifth.
The energy of the Astral Light is, in the east, called Kundalini (the
Serpent) and it is declared by Qabalistis that “Kundalini is coiled in Yesod.” It
is not a difficult stretch of mind to the correct esoteric interpretation of the
110 The Qabalistic Tarot
serpent in the Garden of Eden, or to the meaning of the Serpent shown on the
Tree of Life touching each and every Path. This is the same serpent of Wisdom
which holds its tail in its mouth.
One particularly appropriate aspect of the symbolism of the Serpent
here is that the reptile moves by undulations. In the same way, the Astral Light
weaves back and forth. It follows distinct cycles which underlie and activate the
cycles of our physical existence. The phases of Yesod cause a continual motion
of charge and discharge on the physical plane, expressed as light and dark,
waking and sleeping, etc. Thus, it is truly said that one cannot deal with
Malkuth without first understanding Yesod. And of course, by extention of this
idea, one cannot deal with Yesod without first understanding Hod.
Parenthetically, it is to Yesod that parapsychological research is
directed, since it is possible to use some of the current tools of science to quantify
its effect on the sensory plane. Those who work in this area of research have
found it necessary to at least postulate the existence of some force like the Astral
Light, as an explantion of the ways in which wonders such as psychokinesis
(the ability to move objects mentally) are accomplished.
The Moon is the “Planet” (so described by ancient astronomy) attributed
to Yesod. As it waxes and wanes, it is said to control the motion of the tides. And
the supposed disorienting effect of the full Moon on some is reflected in our very
term lunatic. Yet we conceptualize the Moon as belonging not only to the insane,
but to lovers. The psychologist may find a common root in both conditions
(which is the point), but one is ugly and the other beautiful. Such is the typical
dichotomy of the symbols attached to the Moon. It is both the Witch Goddess
Hecate, in its darkness, and the Moon Goddess Diana in its brightness. It is on
the latter aspect that the esotericist concentrates, for with the increase of the
Moon there is a concomitant increase in the Astral Light underlying our plane,
which may be turned to practical use.
A relationship between Yesod and Binah is suggested by the Moon’s
control of the waters. Yesod is actually Air, which moves the water. Binah is the
Great Sea, and is Isis. This is the Universal Unconscious from which all form
ultimately develops. As Binah is the will to form, so Yesod is the storehouse of
formal images directly behind our conscious experience.
As the lowest level of the Astral World, Yesod is the realm of images cast
off by mankind, bright and dark. It contains the Akashic Record, which is both
the history of races and of each individual mental act of man. Blavatsky
claimed that much of her extraordinarily detailed writing was gleaned
psychically from this record, a flamboyant claim at least.
The images of Yesod are fabulous in their beauty and seductiveness;
they can also be hideous and frightening. These are the dreams and fears of
humanity, built up since the beginning of time (note, again, the relationship
with Binah). It is, in fact, a great ocean, into which every pebble of thought is
thrown, producing a wave which continues eternally. However, these Yesod
forms are illusive. They are not real in the sense that the term would be applied
to the experience of Tiphareth. Recall that the Moon has no light of its own;
Yesod can only reflect the light of the Christ-Osiris-Buddha center of Tiphareth.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 1 1 1
Yet this reflection is of the greatest importance for the developing individual,
since one cannot look directly into the Sun, and must learn about that force by
considering its image reflected in the waters of the Moon.
The lower Astral is also called Maya or illusion. The powers of the Astral
plane are pleased to let us believe whatever amuses us. They will provide visions
to corroborate the most absurd of notions while at the same time inflating our
egos, a very dangerous and common result of work at this level. This is a maze
for the unsuspecting which can be effectively negotiated only by those whose
sights are unfaltering set on Tiphareth. The vision of Yesod, that of the
“Machinery of the Universe,” may be hard won by those tightly locked into the
framework of their personalities.
It should be clear, by this point, that an understanding of the cosmic
tides of Yesod’s Astral Light, and its use, confers power. And, contrary to
popular belief, and to the numerous systems of enlightenment preaching firm
moral values, understanding of, and ability to manipulate, the Astral Light has
nothing whatsoever to do with virtue. It is acquired purely and simply by
meditative discipline. There are some exceedingly unpleasant people walking
the earth today who may rightly lay claim to real understanding of the
workings of the universe.
The symbols of Yesod are the Sandals and the Perfumes, both relating to
practical magic. The consecrated sandals worn within the mystic circle, affirm
that one stands on sacred ground and (in their neutrality) allow for the transfer
of energies between the Earth below and the Sun above. Yesod is the
intermediary between Malkuth and Tiphareth (a two sided-mirror). Perfumes
suggest its fluid and etheric qualities: Incense floats through a church or temple,
subtly affecting the minds of the participants. Its qualities are suggestive, yet
fleeting and illusory, which is the nature of Yesod.
THE NINES
Generally they show very great fundamental force. Executive
power, because they rest on a firm base, powerful for good or evil.
112 The Qabalistic Tarot
NINE OF WANDS, Lord of Great Strength (Moon in Sagittarius).
Angels of the Decan: Yirthiel and Sahiah (M’hNEO .
This is Yesod in Atziluth, the influence of Yesod in the World of Pure
Spirit. The Lunar powers acquire great strength in Sagittarius, although
wherever Yesod and the Moon are concerned, there is always another side to the
coin. Successes are accompanied by strife and apprehension. The good health
which this aspect conveys is certain, but with doubt about the course it may
later take. In divination the card means great strength, power, recovery from
sickness.
NINE OF CUPS, Lord of Material Happiness (Jupiter in Pisces).
Angels of the Decan: Saliah (rp!?N0) and Aariel Ty) .
This is Yesod in Briah, the influence of Yesod in the Mental World. Here
the benevolence of Jupiter, functioning through the water of Pisces, effects
happiness and satisfaction in Malkuth. This is a card of pleasure and sensuality
which should be compared with the TEN OF CUPS, the success of which is
more lasting.
Both the Crowley and Golden Dawn cards show nine cups overflowing
and arranged in a square intended to suggest Chesed-Jupiter and the perfection
of Water force here. Waite, on the other hand, illustrates the more mundane
aspects of the card in its meaning of complete success and the fulfillment of
wishes.
NINE OF SWORDS, Lord of Despair and Cruelty (Mars in Gemini).
Angels of the Decan: Aaneval and Mochayel (!?N’nn).
This is Yesod in Yetzirah, the influence of Yetzirah in the Astral World.
It takes little familiarity with astrology to recognize that the fiery Mars energy
could do no good in the sign of dualities. In the Golden Dawn card the rose has
been completely destroyed, while Crowley’s version shows “poison and blood”
dripping from the nine jagged and rusty swords.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 113
Waite’s card stresses the card’s despair, and the other divinatory
meanings of illness, suffering and cruelty.
NINE OF PENTACLES, Lord of Material Gain (Venus in Virgo).
Angels of the Decan: Hazayel tn) and Aldiah (n’T^K) .
This is Yesod in Assiah, the influence of Yesod in the Material World.
Venus in Virgo brings great efficiency, but with a relative lack of overt feelings.
The aspect tends also to favor the amassing of things; it is thus a card of
material gain. This is suggested by the Golden Dawn Pentacles, each of which
has a fully-developed rose bud beside it, the central one having two buds to
indicate continuing growth and acquisition on the physical plane.
Crowley’s card is particularly interesting, being far more complicated
than it might first appear. He says of it: “The disks are arranged as an
equilateral triangle of three, apex upwards, close together; and surrounded at
some distance by a ring, six larger disks in the form of a hexagram. This
signifies the multiplication of the original established Word by the mingling of
‘good luck and management.’ ” 88
In divination the card means inheritance or material gain.
114 The Qabalistic Tarot
10. MALKUTH: The Kingdom
The Four Tens
The Four Princesses
□ The Earth on which we walk
□ Kether below
□ The Completion
□ The Inferior Mother
□ The Bride of Microprosopus
Symbols: The Altar of the Dou-
ble Cube, The Equal Armed Cross,
The Mystic Circle, The Triangle
of Art, Heh Final .
Colors: Citrine, Olive, Russet,
Black
And from the rays of this Triad [Netzach, Hod, Yesod] there
appear three colours in Malkuth together with a fourth which is
their synthesis. Thus from the orange tawny of Hod and the
green nature of Netzach there goeth forth a certain greenish
‘citrine’ colour, yet pure and translucent withal. From the orange
tawny of Hod mingled with the puce of Yesod there goeth forth a
certain red russet brown, ‘russet’ yet gleaming with a hidden fire.
And from the green of Netzach and the puce of Yesod there goeth
forth a certain other darkening green ‘Olive’ yet rich and
glowing withal. And the synthesis of all these is a blackness
which bordereth upon the Qlippoth.
Thus are the colours of the Sephiroth completed in their
feminine or Rainbow scale.
Moreover, though the Tree of Life operates through all
the Ten Sephiroth, yet it is referred in a special manner to
Tiphareth. Also, though the branches of the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil stretch into the seven lower Sephiroth and
downwards into the Kingdom of Shells, yet it is referred
especially unto Malkuth. Similarly with Netzach and Hod, the
right and left columns of the Sephiroth are referred respectively
thereto.
In Malkuth Adonai ha-Aretz is God, the Lord and King,
ruling over the Kingdom and Empire which is the Visible
Universe.
And Cholem Yesodoth, the Breaker of Foundations (or
Olam Yesodoth, The World of the Elements) is the Name of the
Sphere of the Operation of Malkuth which is called the Sphere of
Patterns of the Sephiroth 115
Elements from which all things are formed, and its Archangels
are three: Metatron, the Prince of Countenance reflected from
Kether, and Sandalphon, the Prince of Prayer (feminine) and
Nephesch ha Messiah, the Soul of the Reconciler for Earth, and
the Order of Angels is Ashim or Flames of Fire, as it is written
‘Who maketh his Angels Spirits and his Ministers as a flaming
Fire’ and these are also called the Order of Blessed Souls or the
Souls of the Just made Perfect.
Malkuth is the most complicated of the Sephiroth; Kether is the most
simple. And yet, applying the principle of “As above, so below,” we appreciate
that Kether is in Malkuth and Malkuth is in Kether. Ultimately, God is in
everything we know, from the flower in the field to the dirt on which we walk.
No matter what is on the earth, is infused with the Divine Nature. The
separation between Creator and Created is artificial. God is Man. Man is God.
We are God collectively, and we are God individually. We are parts, and we are
the whole. The perceived separation is the result of “The Fall,” and the Great
Work of returning to the Godhead begins with the recognition (or, perhaps, the
suspicion) that our perceptions have been inaccurate. Thus, to Malkuth is
assigned the virtue of discrimination. Its spiritual experience is the “Vision of
the Holy Guardian Angel,” an aspect of the Higher Self. It is in Malkuth that its
existence is demonstrated, whereas to Tiphareth is ascribed the conscious union
of the personality with this Higher Genius.
The idea of unity in all, and of the Divine Power indwelling in every
aspect of our material world may seem obvious to those with a natural
inclination toward the mysteries. But, over the centuries, many religious sects
have taught that the material world is inherently evil, a point of view which is
ultimately counterproductive and escapist. The same may be said for certain
fundamentalist Christian attitudes which suggest that man should “give
himself up to the will in God” to the extent that it is a virtual abrogation of
individual responsibility.
The Qabalah teaches that the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and
that unless we learn the lessons of Malkuth there can be no lasting progress
beyond. The fact is that our first spiritual lessons come from those around us.
And if we cannot function effectively on the material level, learning from the
day to day patterns which we have chosen for our incarnation, it is unlikely that
we will be able to function effectively on a more refined spiritual plane. The
ability to sense the importance of the ordinary is a special form of discrimina-
tion.
All meditation, all Tarot divination and skrying, begins and ends with
an affirmation of the strength and stability of the earth. One must first be
grounded before invoking the Divine Light. And, particularly, at the close of a
projective exercise, it is necessary to potently affirm a return to normal
consciousness. Otherwise a dissociation or pathological confusion of planes
may result.
116 The Qabalistic Tarot
The lesson of Malkuth, the balance of the four aspects of the Personality,
through a process which might be described as one of compensation, is all
important as one learns to “Rise on the Planes.” The Personality must be totally
readjusted and rebalanced after each new spiritual experience, a process which
takes place in Malkuth. The waking consciousness is reintegrated as self-
perspective changes.
We learn not in a consistent flow, but rather through a natural process of
activity and passivity, stop and go. First we acquire information, or a new set of
values, and then we stop to integrate that material into our system. This must
happen before the lessons can be applied, which is the reason that one cannot
truly use the powers of any Sephira until he has been initiated into the Sephira
above it.
Repeatedly throughout the Tree, there has been reference to the Four
Elements in the pattern of the Min> . Malkuth is the Sphere where the
elements are ultimately based. They intermingle to produce the stability which
we know as matter. These are not the same as the fire, water, air and earth
which we see and touch, although they are the motive force behind those
elements. In the simplest of terms (although it may sound totally fanciful),
when one lights a match one does so only through the Fire Force of the
Salamanders, Elemental Fire.
The Elementals, which, in the Tattva Exercises we contact in more or
less agreed-upon anthropromorphic shapes, are the forces behind the forms of
the Mundane Chakra, the material world.
The Mundane Chakra of each category of existence is in Assiah, the
lowest of the Four Worlds. Here we may again consider the idea that each
Sephira contains an entire Tree. The Malkuth of Malkuth in Assiah is the
ground on which we walk; the Tiphareth of Malkuth in Assiah is the Sun in our
sky; Netzach is Venus; Hod is Mercury; and Yesod is the Moon. Yet that which
we perceive is only the surface of the material world. Matter (the whole of
Assiah) is composed of particles invisible to the eye. We see them only through
enormous electronic magnification in the same way that the forces which
activate these particles can only be seen with the inner vision.
The exercise of the Tattvas are of Assiah (although they may easily be
deepened into the Yetziratic World). When we deal with the Gnomes, we are
tapping the forces of stability directly beneath our sphere of sensation, forces
which are an amalgam of aspects of three elements within the fourth. Malkuth
is a quadripartite unity. To deal with the Sylphs means to handle the motive
force or Air, directly beneath Yesod’s mundane Chakra, the Moon. The Undines
are in Hod-Mercury, and the Salamanders of Netzach-Venus.
A great deal will be gained by meditation on the position of Malkuth at
the base of the Tree of Life on the Middle Pillar. It is a receptacle for all of the
energies of the Tree. They feed into Malkuth, and are grounded in its stability.
The word inertia has been applied to this Sephira, meaning a state of rest
(stasis) rather than inactivity, as continual motion is the law of nature. The
difference between Malkuth and other Sephiroth is that it is self-contained in
the same way as is Kether.
Patterns of the Sephiroth 117
Malkuth is called the Bride of Microprosopus, a title which relates
beautifully to the Tarot Princesses. The Prince is Tiphareth, who rules over the
personality it projects for each incarnation. But for the personality to perform
its task, it must function within a given structure. The Princess, taken as a
Bride by the Prince (who is actually a King) is the very structure (Kingdom)
through which the Prince rules. For example, we repeatedly have noted that in
Christian iconography the Virgin Mary (Binah-Isis) is The Church. She is the
building, she is the rituals, she is the supportive structure without which the
religion would not function.
Considered at a less symbolic level, the choice of the Prince to take the
Princess as his Bride is our own personal choice to enter a new incarnation, with
a new personality. The Higher Self of Tiphareth builds the personality using the
sequential energies of Netzach, Hod and Yesod. That personality is expressed
through the vehicle of matter in Malkuth, the Sephira also referred to as the
Gateway. Two principles unite, giving rise to a third, which is expressed in a
fourth: Min’ .
Insofar as Malkuth is the Earth, it is active and productive, and is called
the Inferior Mother. On the lower arc, she is an expression of the energies of
Binah, the Supernal Mother. And here we realize that the union of the Vau and
Heh Final, like that of the Yod and Heh, must produce something further. What
is produced is a renewed activity at the point of Kether, which re-activates the
outgoing force of Chokmah, which sustains the formalizing energies of Binah,
and so on. It is a continuous cycle symbolized by the Egg, or by the Serpent
which holds its tail in its mouth. But this cycle becomes ever tighter, pulling
closer to Kether with each downward and then upward swing. There must
eventually come a point in the evolution of the Spirit of Mankind, where the
Tree of Life no longer describes our Universe.
The primary symbols of Malkuth are the Altar of the Double Cube, and
the Equal-Armed Cross. The Altar of the Western Mysteries is black, and is
formed of two cubes, on top of the other. The reference here is to the “As above,
so below.” Moreover, the six sides relate to Tiphareth. The Equal-armed Cross
is the balanced Elements.
The other two symbols are the Mystic Circle, which defines and encloses
sacred ground, and the Triangle of Art in which evocation takes place.
Evocation is very different from invocation. To evoke is to bring something
from another plane into physical manifestation, generally using heavy incense
as an etheric vehicle. To invoke is to call upon a specific form of the Divine
Presence, which is in the nature of prayer, though a great deal more practical.
THE TENS
Generally show fixed, culminated, completed Force, whether
good or evil. The matter thoroughly and definitely determined.
Similar to the force of the Nines, but ultimating it, and carrying
it out.
118 The Qabalistic Tarol
TEN OF WANDS, Lord of Oppression (Saturn in Sagittarius).
Angels of the Decan: Reyayel (bN’O) and Avamel (tmn’K) .
This is Malkuth in Atziluth, the influence of Malkuth in the World of
Pure Spirit. The destructive powers of Saturn are amplified by the Swiftness of
Sagittarius, leading to material force selfishly applied, usually with cruelty.
Crowley shows the nature of this force by using wands which are no longer
elegant but which, rather, are crude clubs. Waite’s card uses a heavy burden to
suggest cruelty and malice, overbearing force and energy, injustice.
TEN OF CUPS, Lord of Perfected Success (Mars in Pisces).
Angels of the Decan: Aasliah and Mihal (twn’n) .
This is Malkuth in Briah, the influence of Malkuth in the unconscious
Mental World. Here is a situation where the generally understood astrological
meaning of an aspect does not apply. In an astrological reading, Mars in Pisces,
a watery sign, would signify a dispersal of energy and a degree of frustration.
But the meaning here is that the fire of Mars causes the waters of the final sign
of the Zodiac to rush furiously in Briah, bringing great success on the material
Patterns of the Sephiroth 1 19
plane. As all of the card images suggest, the happiness is “inspired from above.”
On the other hand, it should be remembered that the Tarot, when used for
divination, is best applied to mundane matters, and the meaning of this aspect
may be considered different if applied to a more spiritual plane. In ordinary
divination, the meaning is matters definitely arranged and settled as wished,
permanent and lasting success.
TEN OF SWORDS, Lord of Ruin (Sun in Gemini).
Angels of the Decan: Dambayah ( n> nm) and Menqal ( NH ’ o) .
This is Malkuth in Yetzirah, the influence of Malkuth in the Astral
World. From the standpoint of material things, this is the most destructive card
in the deck, and no one likes to see it appear in a spread. But those who use the
Tarot as an instrument of spiritual development learn not to take life’s
experiences at face value. And insofar as the Tarot is used to predict future
events, the statement can be made about it that can be made about astrology,
“The stars impel, they do not compel.” We are not slaves to our destiny, but have
the capacity, through inner processes, to considerably improve our earthly lot.
To do so is no less ethical than resigning a position when it is clear that some
work-related disaster is on the horizon, or walking on the sidewalk when “the
cards tell you” that if you walk in the street you will probably be struck by an
oncoming automobile. We should use the capacities we have been given.
The divinatory meaning of this card is ruin, death, failure, disaster. This
is more of a death card than is DEATH, which generally means a situational
death, a transformation.
TEN OF PENTACLES, Lord of Wealth (Mercury in Virgo).
Angels of the Decan: Hahaayah and Laviah ( n ’ 1 ) ■
This is Malkuth in Assiah, the influence of Malkuth in the material
World. Mercury, God of commerce, rules the earthly sign Virgo. Its placement
here assures material gain so vast that it may lose its importance, a situation
described as an embarras de richesses.
120 The Qabalistic Tarot
The Golden Dawn version follows the same pattern as the Marseilles
deck showing gain by the roses in full bloom. Both Waite and Crowley use the
whole Tree of Life to suggest completion; following the planetary attribution,
Crowley’s Tree shows various symbols for Mercury.
THE PRINCESSES
They represent the forces of the Heh Final of the Name in each
suit, completing the influences of the other scales. The mighty
and potent daughter of a King and Queen: a Princess powerful
and terrible. A Queen of Queens, an Empress, whose effect
combines those of the King, Queen and Prince. . . . Yet her power
existeth not save by reason of the others, and then indeed it is
mighty and terrible materially, and is the Throne of the Forces of
the Spirit. Woe unto whosoever shall make war upon her when
thus established!
Patterns of the Sephiroth 121
PRINCESS OF WANDS, Princess of the Shining Flame, The Rose of the Palace
of Fire, Princess and Empress of the Salamanders, Throne of the Ace of Wands.
The Princess of Wands is Earth of Fire, the personification of Specific
Earth of Primal Fire. In the Golden Dawn card her hand rests upon a golden
altar decorated with Rams’ heads (Aries) reminding us that in the system of
Decans it is Aries which both begins and ends the series. The Fire being
“sacrificed” on the altar of Malkuth, the Fire of the Wand (now so imposing as
to be considered a dangerous club), and the Fire beneath her feet shoot upwards.
This card is a dynamic and unpredictable as the Tiger which is the crest of the
Princess.
In this card, as in all of his Court cards, Crowley attempts to represent
the activity of the force in question. His swirling, dancing figure, inseparable
from the Tiger, is the mundane aspect of fire. Here, especially, Crowley’s
dependance on the Golden Dawn designs is clear.
One must, finally, comment on the Waite “Pages,” and the Knaves of the
Marseilles deck, both of which are exoteric. Insofar as these cards are the “Bride
of Microprosopus,” they must be shown as female. The Heh final is the Inferior
Mother. Waite knew this, and was perhaps avoiding an idea which he
considered an esoteric secret.
PRINCESS OF CUPS, Princess of the Water and Lotus of the Palace of the
Floods, Princess and Empress of Nymphs and Undines, Throne of the Ace of
Cups.
The Princess of Cups is Earth of Water, the personification of Specific
Earth in Primal Water. In the Golden Dawn card there are three important
symbols: the turtle, the swan and the dolphin, the latter having been discussed
in regard to the TWO OF CUPS. The Turtle is a symbol of wisdom (because it
withdraws into its own shell); it is also related to long life in some systems . 89 But
the swan in the key symbol for this Princess, who wears a cloak of soft feathers.
The swan is related to Orpheus (who chose to be reborn in that form), and thus
122 The Qabalistic Tarot
to the lyre and all musical forms. The tradition among seaman is that the swan
brings good fortune . 90
As in his PRINCESS OF WANDS, Crowley abstracts the three symbols
of the Golden Dawn card, although he describes the form issuing from the cup
as the tortoise which in Hinduism has on its back the Elephant which supports
the Universe. This is, therefore, a card of emergent life from the sea, and of
matter crystallizing within water.
PRINCESS OF SWORDS, Princess of the Rushing Winds, Lotus of the Palace
of Air, Princess and Empress of the Sylphs and Sylphides, Throne of the Ace of
Swords.
The Princess of Swords is Earth of Air, personification of Specific Earth
in Primal Air. The Golden Dawn Princess stands at a silver altar which bears
no fire, only smoke which may be blown in any direction by the Air of Yetzirah.
She is intended to represent a mixture of Minerva (Goddess of Wisdom) and
Diana (Goddess of the Moon and of the hunt). The crest describing her
personality, is a head of Medusa. Medusa was at one time a very beautiful
woman who, because she offended Athena was transformed into a hideous
creature with hair of serpents. The very sight of her would turn men to stone . 91
Thus, the indication here is that the personality of the Princess is not entirely
pleasant. It should also be noted that it is Perseus who severs the head of
Medusa. He is also represented on the Golden Dawn version of THE LOVERS,
rescuing Andromeda from her earthly shackles. Mathers, a great symbolist,
unquestionably intended that we make this connection.
PRINCESS OF PENTACLES, Princess of Echoing Hills, Rose of the Palace of
Earth, Princess and Empress of the Gnomes, Throne of the Ace of Pentacles.
The Princess of Pentacles is Earth of Earth, the personification of
Specific Earth in the World of Primal Earth. Her Golden Dawn attribute is a
winged Ram’s head (made a helmet by Crowley) suggesting that she is a
Patterns of the Sephiroth 12B
completion of that found in the PRINCESS OF WANDS. The Princesses are less
dependant of one another than are the other Court cards, insofar as the
elements are blended in Malkuth.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life
APPLICATIONS OF THE SEPHER YETZIRAH
As has been indicated, the Tarot is usually related to the Sepher Yetzirah or
Book of Formation. This brief, but major, document of esoteric cosmology
purports to demonstrate the rational framework and course of creation of our
Universe. Yet, as with all truly enlightened works, it is not intended to be read; it
must, rather, be used as a stimulus to meditation.
The Sepher Yetzirah uses the symbolism of highly abstract words to
describe those energies which the Tarot describes in pictures, the corresponding
links being the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Thus, any comment
on a Hebrew letter may also be taken to be a comment on the Tarot card to
which that particular letter is attributed.
To approach the Tarot from the standpoint of the Sepher Yetzirah adds
an important dimension to the study of the cards. Moreover, the ancient
document is so short that this is not a difficult task.
Let us begin by applying selected passages of this work to the Tarot
Trumps as they are traditionally placed on the Tree of Life (Figures 18 and 19).
THE MATERNALS: AIR, WATER, FIRE
From the Spirit he produced Air, and formed in it twenty-two sounds, the
letters. Three are mothers, seven are double, and twelve are simple, but the
Spirit is first and above these. 92
N THE FOOL is Air. All of the other Tarot cards are implicit in this Transitional
Air; they all arise from Air.
126 The Qabalistic Tarot
Figure 18 . Attribution of the Major Arcana to the Tree of Life
From the Air He formed the Waters and from the formless and void
made mire and clay, and designed surfaces upon them, and hewed recesses in
them, and formed the strong material foundation.
n THE HANGED MAN is Water. It is the basis of matter, and is a part of
Microprosopus on the Tree of Life, at the side of the Pillar of Severity.
Alchemists call Water the “root of all minerals.”
From the Water he formed Fire and made for himself a Throne of Glory
with Auphanim, Seraphim and Kerubim, as his ministering angels; and with
those three he completed his dwelling. . .
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 127
w JUDGMENT is Fire. The final maternal connects Microprosopus with its
bride, Malkuth, again on the side of the Pillar of Severity.
As the Path of the Flaming Sword (Figure 20) which is the Path of
emanation of the Sephiroth, crosses the Abyss from Binah to Chesed where no
Path exists, so there is the possibility of passage across the Abyss from
Chokmah to Geburah (although this is not a viable possibility for the
developing spirit). Were this done, it would be possible to move up and down the
Tree of Life using only three Paths, those of the Matemals. From Kether the
Path of THE FOOL leads to Chokmah. From Chokmah it is a leap across the
terrible abyss to Geburah. From Geburah is the Path of THE HANGED MAN
128 The Qabalistic Tarot
into Hod. Finally, the Path of JUDGMENT leads into the material completion
of Malkuth.
There is a quality of “mind game” to working with the Sepher Yetzirah
in this way, but the method is essential to understanding the ways in which the
Tarot embodies high Qabalistic principle.
THE DOUBLE LETTERS: PLANETS, LOCALITIES,
DAYS, GATEWAYS, CONTRASTS
The initial commentary on the Double Letters states that they are so
called “because each letter represents a contrast or permutation.” In fact, each
of these seven letters has two pronunciations, one hard and one soft.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 129
The letters refer, in order, to Life and Death, Peace and War, Wisdom
and Folly, Riches and Poverty, Grace and Indignation, Fertility and Solitude,
Power and Servitude. These are the pairs of opposites which we can apply to the
designated Tarot Trumps.
These Seven Double Letters point out seven localities; Above, Below,
East, West, North, South, and the Palace of Holiness in the midst of them
sustaining all things.
This describes the Hexagram, related to the central Sephiroth on the
Tree of life (Figure 16 on page 96).
These Seven Double Letters He designed, produced and combined and
formed with them the Planets (stars) of the Universe, the Days of the Week, and
the Gates of the soul (the orifices of perception) in Man.
At the onset it is important to appreciate that as the Planets are
attributed to Paths (Figure 21), they are not the same as planets attributed to
Sephiroth, which are, at one level, the bodily Chakras or Metals of the
Alchemists. To the MAGICIAN, for example, Mercury is applied, but this differs
from the Mercury which is the mundane chakra of the Sephira Hod. It is what
Mathers called the “Philosophic Mercury.”
The Paths involving Planets must be considered transitional, as are
those Paths to which Elements are attributed: they always represent the action
of one energy on another because they link together two Sephiroth. The same
may be said for the Paths of the Zodiac, where the action of one Planet on
another occurs through the intermediary of the Sign of the Zodiac. It would be
pleasant to be able to suggest that this is not actually as difficult as it appears,
but such is not the case. To understand these concepts may require a herculean
effort on the part of one who approaches them purely intellectually. The
corrective comes for those who project themselves astrally into the Tarot cards.
The actual experience of these energies is the only way to make real sense from
principles, of necessity, expressed coldly.
3 THE MAGICIAN is Mercury, Life-Death.
1 THE EMPRESS is Venus, Peace-War.
A THE HIGH PRIESTESS is the Moon, Wisdom-Folly.
3 THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE is Jupiter, Riches-Poverty.
£> THE TOWER is Mars, Grace-Indignation.
“i THE SUN is the Sun, Fertility-Barrenness
n THE UNIVERSE is Saturn, Power-Servitude.
These are the primary attributions of the Planets to the Tarot cards,
though, as is indicated in the illustrations, each Sign of the Zodiac is ruled by a
130 The Qabalistic Tarot
Planet. There are only three Paths on the Tree of Life without some Planetary
reference; these are the Paths of the Matemals. A most important principle is
imbedded in this fact, and in the specific placement of the matemals on the Tree
of Life.
Figure 21. Planetary attributions to the Tree of Life. The Planets attached to Sephiroth
are indicated in heavy type. Also in heavy type are those planets directly attributed to
Paths; associated Tarot Trumps are given beneath. The seven planetary Paths are the
seven touble letters of the Sepher Yetzirah. Planets in light type are Paths attributed to
signs of the Zodiac ruled by those planets. Note that the only Paths which do not in some
way relate to planets are those of the Hebrew letters called Matemals: N (Air), 0
(Water) and U) (Fire).
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 131
THE SIMPLE LETTERS: SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC
The twelve simple letters. . . are the foundation of these twelve
properties: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Speech, Taste, Sexual Love, Work, Movement,
Anger, Mirth, Imagination and Sleep.
. . . These Twelve Simple Letters he designated, and combined, and
formed with them the Twelve celestial constellations of the Zodiac.
(Figure 22 shows the Signs of the Zodiac on the Tree with the
corresponding Tarot Keys. This should be studied with Figure 23, which
considers the attribution of Elements to the same Sign on each Path).
n THE EMPEROR is Aries, Sight.
1 THE HIEROPHANT is Taurus, Hearing.
T THE LOVERS is Gemini, Smell.
n THE CHARIOT is Cancer, Speech.
0 STRENGTH is Leo, Taste.
t THE HERMIT is Virgo, Sexual Love.
b JUSTICE is Libra, Work.
3 DEATH is Scorpio, Movement.
0 TEMPERANCE is Sagittarius, Anger.
y THE DEVIL is Capricorn, Mirth.
y THE STAR is Aquarius, imagination.
P THE MOON is Pisces, Sleep.
Thus, the totality of the human condition is represented in the twenty
two cards of the Major Arcana, the Maternal cards are the primary spiritual
forces; the Double Letter cards are the opposing conditions affecting the
individual in incarnation; the Simple Letter cards are the activities in which the
individual engages.
In terms of the Microcosm and Macrocosm, the Maternal Letters are the
roots of any given form of consciousness, the Double Letters are the gateways or
orifices of the body, and the Single Letters are the organs. Some very profound
insights will result from meditation on the incarnation of the various aspects of
the letters.
THE CUBE OF SPACE
A slight feeling of despair may be a common reaction to one’s first
encounter with this diagram (Figure 24), which may appear to add the last
straw to what is an already unbearably heavy weight of symbolism. But in
actuality, anyone who can follow a subway map of New York City will have no
problem with the Cube of Space. It is a sort of internal map of the Universe,
given in the Sepher Yetzirah, where a direction is assigned to each letter of the
Hebrew alphabet.
Many of the symbols discussed in this book are a great deal more
accessible than they might at first appear. The Cube of Space is a good example,
132 The Qabalistic Tarot
Figure 22. Signs of the Zodiac on the Tree of Life. The Twelve Zodiacal Paths are the
twelve simple letters of the Sepher Yetzirah.
and one which may serve to demonstrate the extent to which Qabalistic
symbols are meant to be used in our internal learning process.
If we sit quietly, we may conceptualize our thoughts, feelings and
spiritual being as controlled from a central point in our heads. Perhaps this
could be called the “I” point. Once we have focused on this internal point, we
can begin to think about how it relates to principles of an inner universe. These
principles are the comers and directions of the cube. So what we do is to make
believe that our consciousness is inside a cube, giving our intelligence
something concrete, though artificial, with which to begin inner exploration.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life
133
Figure 23. The Signs of the Zodiac on the Tree of Life as Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable
Elements.
The Cube of Space is simple enough, though it is a very different pattern
of symbolism than is found on the Tree of Life. And, while the Sepher Yetzirah
describes this Cube of Space very precisely, it is not so easily related to the Tree!
The problem arises in that the document does not specifically ascribe to Paths
between Sephiroth as is understood today. And, as we have seen, some versions
of the Tree do not show a complete twenty-two Paths.
One possible explanation, espoused by a large number of scholars, is
that the book represents a purposeful attempt to fuse two different methods of
approach to the inner worlds, using a type of logic similar to that of the Neo-
134 The Qabalistic Tarot
EAST-ABOVE T LOVERS
Figure 24. The Cube of Space
Pythagoreans, popular in the second and third centuries A.D. 93 The least that
can be said is that (like the Bahir) there are aspects of the Sepher Yetzirah
which are not easily accomodated into our modern symbolic structure.
On the other hand, the Cube of Space demonstrates certain relationships
not at all obvious on the Tree of Life. One primary example is the symbolic
crossing of the three Maternals at the point of THE UNIVERSE (Tau). It is also
more consistent with the directions of traditional ritual: East, West, North and
South. Gareth Knight describes this as the “Upper Room,” 94 a method of
relating our mundane spatial perspectives to an inner experience, as a matter of
orientation.
It must, however, be stressed that none of the external systems truly
indicate the quality of the inner experience of the Paths. The reason that they
all appear so complex and disjointed is that they attempt to suggest experiences
which our language is inadequate to describe. No matter how dogmatic one may
be about the intellectual intermesh of symbols, the most intricate commentary
on these matters is often like the medieval clerics who postulated the number of
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 135
angels that would fit on the head of a pin. Yet some statements which appear to
be symbolic turn out to be very precise descriptions of a universal experience. It
is up to the discrimination of the student to decide which is which. Only the
inner experience of these Paths make clear what the various systems of symbols
are trying to explain. And until such time as we encounter directly the energies
of the Tarot cards, we strive to form concepts about these energies through such
artificial devices as the Tree of Life, and through such methods as the
Qabalistic manipulation of numbers.
NUMEROLOGY
Qabalistic numerology is called Gematria. This involves nothing more
than taking the numerical value of each Hebrew letter in a word, and adding
those values together. Theoretically, words of the same total value bear some
conceptual relationship, although the principle can be taken to absurd
extremes. Gematria can be a petty trap.
The interrelationship of numbers and letters often, however, points to
some profound ideas. For example, we have considered the reinteraction of
Chokmah and Binah, whose union gives rise to Tiphareth: the Yod and Heh
produce the Vau. As a number, Yod is 10 and Heh is 5. Added together they are
15, which reduces to 6, the numerical value of Vau. Even the most sceptical may
agree that for the relationship of the numerical values to be precisely that
relationship assigned to the letters as philosophical values is interesting. These
patterns occur with such frequency and consistency that they seem clearly
intended to teach.
Westcott’s fine explanation of Gematria is reprinted by Aleister Crowley
in his Equinox. 95 We repeat here one of his examples which uses the God Name
nil (Ruach Elohim), meaning the Spirit of Elohim. The numer-
cial value of this phrase is easily derived, as is shown below. Having found the
letters to have a total value of 300, we discover a parallel in that the letter Shin
also has a value of 300. Shin is the maternal letter of spiritual Fire.
If the 300 is reduced, it becomes 3, the number of Binah, implying a
relationship of both the Ruach Elohim and the potencies symbolized by Shin, to
the first formative Sephira.
1 = 200
1 = 6
n = 8
H = 1
b = 30
n = 5
> = 10
D = 40
total 300
136 The Qabalistic Tarot
LETTER
NAME EQUIVALENT
VALUE
MEANING
H
(Final)
ALEPH
A
1
Ox
3
BETH
B, V
2
House
>
GIMEL
G, Gh
3
Camel
DALETH
D, Dh
4
Door
n
HE
H
5
Window
i
VAU
0, U, V
6
Nail or Hook
T
ZAYIN
Z
7
Sword or Armor
n
HETH
Ch
8
Fence, Enclosure
0
TETH
T
9
Snake
7
YOD
I, Y
10
Hand
3
Cl)
KAPH
K, Kh
20,500
Fist
LAMED
L
30
Ox Goad
n
(0)
MEM
M
40,600
Water
3
Cl)
NUN
N
50,700
Fish
0
SAMEKH
S
60
Prop
y
AYIN
Aa, Ngh
70
Eye
3
C*i)
PE
P, Ph
80,800
Mouth
y
cv)
TZADDI
Tz
90,900
Fish hook
P
QOPH
Q
100
Ear, back of head
RESH
R
200
Head
e;
SHIN
S, Sh
300
Tooth
h
TAU
T, Th
400
Cross
THE HEBREW ALPHABET
Through Gematria a “total” energy is considered as the sum of its parts.
The same approach can be taken graphically, by using the Tarot to spell God
Names. Ruach Elohim, for example, is composed of the energies symbolized by
the following:
1 THE SUN
1 THE HIEROPHANT
n THE CHARIOT
h THE FOOL
JUSTICE
n THE EMPEROR
> THE HERMIT
b THE HANGED MAN
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 137
SETS OF PATHS
Another way to consider the Keys is in terms of equilibrium and
opposites (Figure 25). Here THE FOOL is viewed as the opposite of THE
MAGICIAN, or THE CHARIOT the opposite of THE HIEROPHANT on the
basis of their position on the Tree of Life. It is important to note that position is
the consideration here, since some authorities establish card opposites in other
ways.
Beyond Gematria as a means for examining the Tree’s internal
workings, one begins to look for Paths that are related in special ways. In this
regard, we have already suggested that certain sets of (three) Paths define
aspects of the Self, i.e., the Supreme Spiritual Self, the Higher Self and the
Personality. Other sets of Paths are more obvious, such as those of the Flaming
Sword (Figure 20), where each card is important to the process of emanation of
the Universe.
Figure 25. Cards considered as opposites
138 The Qabalistic Tarot
basis of their position on the Tree of Life. It is important to note that position is
the consideration here, since some authorities establish card opposites in other
ways.
One of the most potent sets of Paths is that of the Middle Pillar and
involving THE HIGH PRIESTESS, TEMPERANCE and THE UNIVERSE
(Figure 26 ). What this diagram says, in essence, is that through the experience
of three separate types of energy, we may attain knowledge of the Ultimate
Godhead.
Figure 26. The cards on the Middle Pillar. There are only three cards which are actually
on the middle pillar, hut to travel these Paths means also to “cross through” the potent
energies symbolized by three other cards. Note also that the Path of the High Priestess
extends through the Abyss.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 139
If we apply the definitions of the Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom (Figure
27) in the same way, we find these three major Paths described, in order of their
progress toward the Godhead, as: The Administrative Intelligence (THE
UNIVERSE), the organizing structure behind our material environment; The
Intelligence of Probation (TEMPERANCE), perhaps the most difficult Path on
the entire Tree of Life, one of Spiritual Alchemy and of the dreadful “Dark Night
of the Soul,” leading to knowing immersion of the Personality into the
consciousness of the Higher Self; The Uniting Intelligence (THE HIGH
PRIESTESS), the Path by which all that has appeared to be separated from the
Godhead is re-united.
The point here is the extent to which the ancient Qabalistic documents
amplify our appreciation of the Tarot and vice-versa.
Figure 27. The Paths from the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom
140 The Qabalistic Tarot
THE INITIATORY SCHEME OF THE TAROT
As we have seen, the Tree of Life is based on one very simple principle,
that of a positive and a negative which, between them, produce a third and
balanced energy. These are the Yod, Heh and Vau of the Divine Name. A
variety of terms describe this pattern, such as: Male, Female, Neuter, or Father,
Mother, Son. Figure 28 labels the Sephiroth centers of Force and Form, whereas
Figure 28. Patterns of Form and Force on the Tree of Life. The Activating Paths are the
i ; the Formative Paths are the H ; the crossing Paths and those of the Middle Pillar
are the 1 . Note that the word “formative” is used here rather than “passive,” chosen
by some authorities. There is no inertia on the Tree of Life; it is in a state of constant
activity, the formative process being a response to the activation. This is not neutral in
the sense that the word passive would imply. Here one might usefully consider the fact
that THE EMPEROR is a Formative Path, rather than an activating one, and the fact
that Binah (like the Path of THE EMPEROR) is bright red in Atziluth.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 141
the Paths are called Activating and Formative. This slight distinction is made
to point out that the Sephiroth are centers of energy, while the Paths are the
subjective experiences between those centers.
Before proceeding further, it seems important to point out that the
complex discussion which follows is presented not so much for its content as for
its method of analyzing the Tree.
The Tree of Life is a system of triangles made up of Paths which are
Activating, Formative and Balancing. This is an absolute Qabalistic given, a
universal pattern. In light of this pattern, let us return to the idea that each of
the key triangles on the Tree refers to one part of the Soul: The Supernal
Triangle is the Supreme Spiritual Self, the Ethical Triangle is the Higher Self,
and the Astral Triangle is the Personality in incarnation. This idea, which was
particularly developed by Dion Fortune, 96 places special importance on nine
Tarot cards:
THE SPIRITUAL SELF
THE FOOL (Activating)
SUPERNAL TRIANGLE THE MAGICIAN (Formative)
THE EMPRESS (Balancing)
THE HIGHER SELF
STRENGTH (Balancing)
ETHICAL TRIANGLE HERMIT (Activating)
JUSTICE (Formative)
THE PERSONALITY
TOWER (Balancing)
ASTRAL TRIANGLE STAR (Formative)
SUN (Activating)
The core structure of each part of the Self is composed of three aspects,
an Activating (Yod-Fire), a Formative (Heh-Water) and an energy which is
Balancing (Vau-Air), as is shown in Figure 29. One important clue to the
symbolism is that Heh-water, wherever it appears means consciousness. In
some Tarot cards this is a Universal Consciousness, while in others it is the
personal consciousness. Yod-Fire is the motive principle (what Fabre d’Olivet
called the “intellectual volative principle”). It is that on which consciousness
acts. Vau-Air is the balance between these two, which sustains their interaction.
What is important to appreciate is that the pattern is implicit at all levels. And,
having seen the activities of the Yod, Heh and Vau within the core structures of
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 143
the Self, we look for the same pattern in the Path energies around these core
structures.
The nine cards of the Self are clearly defined. What is then required is an
appreciation of the relationship of the other cards to these givens. We know,
first of all, that each Path represents a specific lesson about the Self, a lesson
required to full understand the core aspect (triangle) of the Self to which it
relates. Here it will be seen that the subsidiary Paths operate in the same
pattern of zig-zag energies accross the Tree as do the Sephiroth. Considering
only the outermost Paths:
CHARIOT HIEROPHANT
(Activating) ' (Formative)
HANGED MAN WHEEL OF FORTUNE
(Formative) ^ > (Activating)
JUDGMENT MOON
(Activating) (Formative)
The four upper Paths are the extremes of energy which maintain the
opposite Pillars and which may thus be called Paths of Stabilizing Extreme
energy which is either Activating or Formative. We then discover that at each
level, the two Paths on either side of the balanced Middle Pillar share the
qualities of the cards beside them, an even more complicated and interesting
scheme appears, one which reveals card relationships obvious in no other way:
Each Stabilizing Extreme Path is related to an inner Connecting Path
(i.e., THE LOVERS, THE EMPEROR, THE DEVIL, DEATH). These inner
Paths connect the levels of the Self, rather than being a part of either Pillar;
they may also be considered the lesser extremes of Activating and Formative
energies. These, and the Paths of the Middle Pillar can be called probationary
Paths.
To some extent, these definitions are arbitrary, yet it is essential that we
make an attempt to place what we know into an overall intellectual perspective.
144 The Qabalistic Tarot
From there we begin to internalize, personalize, concepts so that we view our
own lives differently than before. This process can be frustrating and painful.
Everyone who works seriously with the Tree of Life reaches a point
where they are no longer able to take the symbols at face value, where the
symbols seem somehow shallow and empty. It is then that one begins to ask:
How do each of the Paths and Tarot Keys relate to me personally? The question
may grow from an internal observation of one’s own thinking process, what the
Hermetic Mysteries would call “watching the watcher.” We are all aware of our
own consciousness, although it is something on which very few people ever stop
to focus attention. And as we observe our own process of attention to ourselves,
we may well ask how the consciousness, as well as the observation of it fits on
the Tree of Life.
To answer this question, let us consider our own bodies. The Qabalah
neatly fits our physical vehicles into Malkuth (using the one Tree system) or
Assiah (on the four Tree system). Moreover, while the body is a totality, working
as a unity in whatever physical operation we may perform, we conceptualize its
components as separate for the sake of understanding their individual
contribution to the whole. The head is not the hand, although one does not
function without the other. And it is not difficult to apply the various parts of
the Tree of Life to the body. No great intellectual effort is required.
But when we become aware of our own consciousness, the Personality
“I” that functions in our heads, we may experience difficulty in relating what
we observe to the Tree of Life. Our self-awareness (which is in actuality limited
to the Personality for most) does not fit anywhere on the Tree of Life in to to. The
package of thoughts and feelings which we observe does not seem specifically
applicable to any Sephira or Path. It can be said that Hod is intellect, that
Netzach is intuition and feelings, or even that Yesod is our faculty of
imagination. But when we think about something we are not functioning
exclusively in Hod, anymore than when we use our imagination we are
funcioning exclusively in Yesod. These qualities are not specific, they are fluid
and interwoven. In fact, we are, of necessity, functioning on all Paths at once.
Our Personality consciousness is the combined effect of what happens on these
lower Paths. We cannot separate our thinking capacity from our feeling
capacity, but we can focus on either (the Alchemical process of “Dissolution”).
To do so is to begin the conscious travelling of a Path, where we encounter the
trail left by many others who have pursued the same process. The Paths are
partly the artificial separation out of twenty-two discrete aspects of conscious-
ness; they are also the encounter of the same specific qualities in the Universal
consciousness of mankind. Using the formula “As Above, so Below,” we begin
by studying our own personal intellectual and intuitive functions. As we begin
to understand these, we also begin to recognize their patterns in all created
human beings.
It may, thus, be appreciated why it is only possible to express these
qualities in terms of symbols. The separation of the Body, the Personality, the
Higher Self and The Spirit is only conceptual, the symbols providing a focus for
study of any specific aspect of the inherently indivisible whole.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 145
32. THE PATH OF TAU
The Universe
The Twenty-first Key
□ PATH COLOR: Indigo
□ RELATED SOUND: A Natural
□ PLANET: Saturn
□ MEANING: Tau Cross, Equal
Armed Cross
□ DOUBLE LETTER: Power-Ser-
vitude
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Great
One of the Night of Time
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Thirty-Second Path is
the Administrative Intelligence, and it is so called because it
directs and associates in all their operations the seven planets,
even all of them in their own due course.
Study of the Paths begins not with the first card, THE FOOL, but with
the last, THE UNIVERSE . 97 This is because we ascend the Tree of Life, working
from our material perspective (“below”) to the realms of Pure Spirit (“above”).
Our understanding of the more refined universal patterns is based on what we
learn on this earth. It is with the earth that serious esoteric work begins and
ends, as long as our Divine Consciousness is functioning through a physical
vehicle.
The Path of Tau, THE UNIVERSE, joins Malkuth (the Earth) with
Yesod (the Foundation). It is the first Path out of the material condition and
leads toward an understanding of the Personality forged by the Higher Self of
Tiphareth for each incarnation. The Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom calls this the
“Administrative Intelligence,” and says that it “directs and associates in all
their operations the seven planets.” Symbolically, this Path connects the earth
146 The Qabalistic Tarot
with the balanced powers of Microprosopus represented by the Hexagram
(seven planets on the Tree of Life.)
Tau is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Between Aleph and Tau is
the entire universe, referred to in Christian Greek terms as the Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end. Tau means cross, a T-Cross as well as one
which is equal-armed, which is appropriate to its position on the Cube of Space
as described in the Sepher Yetzirah.
That book refers to Tau as the “Palace of Holiness, sustaining all
things.” It is both “Power and Servitude.” And, when considered on the Cube of
Space, it is found to be at the exact central point of the three Maternal Letters,
Aleph, Mem and Shin, the symbolic forms of energy from which manifestation
was created. The Path of THE UNIVERSE is the key to all of this because it
falls at the point where they all cross (refer again to Figure 24). This crossing
point, where these primary energies are balanced, is the sanctum sanctorum of
the devotional mysteries. Some writers have even described this Path as
“Heaven,” or “Nirvana,” meaning that here one experiences the consciousness
of the greater universe, an ultimate reality by comparison with our sensory
condition. And by the formula of “As above, so below,” we understand that our
experience of the completed universal pattern below tells us something about
the Creator above.
One symbol which can be applied to both THE FOOL and THE
UNIVERSE, the beginning and the end, is the Swastica or Gammadion. In
Kether its arms spin so rapidly that they merge and are perceived as a unified
point. Such is the lesson of THE FOOL. On the Path of THE UNIVERSE,
however, it could be said that the Swastica has slowed its spin so that each of
the arms is completely perceptible and are seen to be perfectly balanced around
the central point. This is the complete expression of The One in matter.
In discussing THE UNIVERSE we are really discussing the world of
matter. Most people have a dualist conception of themselves: they are body and
mind, and when they dream or meditate, the images which come to them are
considered to be divorced from the physical. Yet the Mysteries have stated for
generations that the cosmos is all mind, and that the distinction between mind
and body is one of perception, not of actuality. In fact, when we close our eyes
and see pictures, what we are first seeing is the most refined form of matter, the
images and energy forms which are closest to the physical condition. The
concept which must be grasped (an admittedly difficult one) is that most of the
physical world is unseen. It is for this reason that on the scheme of the Four
Worlds, the Malkuth of Assiah alone is described as our sphere of sensation. The
idea is symbolized in the card by the seven pointed star representative of the
Seven Palaces of Assiah. To experience the Path of THE UNIVERSE is to be
taken to the gateway of these seven palaces.
THE UNIVERSE symbolizes a Path where the components of the
Universal Plan become apparent, without necessarily being understood. One
may enter the Holy of Holies, and encounter these forces in such a way that he is
“in them, but not of them.” What is important is that, as opposed to other Paths,
the energies are all present in their full expression, and are self-balanced. This,
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 147
as well as the idea that Tau is the central point of the Aleph, Mem and Shin
Paths, is what is meant by the equal-armed cross.
From the standpoint of practical mysticism, THE UNIVERSE may be
considered the most important card in the deck, for it is the point at which we
begin the process of inner exploration. It is the point where we step abruptly into
a reality that may be at once frightening and reassuring because so much of
what we encounter on this Path is of our own making. It is on this Path that we
encounter our own individual personality consciousness, all that is inside our
heads, divorced from the security of physical reality. It is the initiation of the
Personality into its own structure, which is a Microcosmic Universe. At the
same time, we encounter symbols and ideas which are of a greater conscious-
ness than our own, and begin to see the ways in which our being relates to a
total universal picture.
This is a Path which can only be successfully travelled by those who
have begun to bring their Personalities into a self-understanding balance; those
who have not will find themselves tormented by phantoms of their own making,
and the Gates closed to them. On the other hand, those who have truly come to
grips with the life experience will find inner help and encouragment at every
step. It is on the Path of THE UNIVERSE that one discovers the extent to
which the process of inner exploration is guided and, particularly, the very real
protection and assistance given mankind by the Archangels. Until one begins
these exercises, the Archangels are merely an abstraction, something in which
one can vaguely believe or disbelieve.
A word of caution might be in order here. Insofar as THE UNIVERSE is
a Path of entry to the Astral, it must be borne in mind that the Astral “seeks to
deceive.” A great many people believe themselves to be on one Path or another
when they are, in actuality, entertaining themselves with an extended fantasy.
We must be extremely cautious in accepting any of the images which appear to
us as a “reality” of any sort, until we have applied every test of reason and
feeling. There comes a time when we know that what we are experiencing could
not possibly be of our own making because we are actually learning. We are
acquiring new information which can often be verified or corroborated by
research. One way or the other, a considerable amount of the gross must be
sorted out before we come to the subtle. This is one of the most important lessons
of THE UNIVERSE, a Path which must be approached with the virtue of
Malkuth, that of discrimination. It is only through discrimination that we can
place ourselves in the “Administrative” balance symbolized by the dancing
woman draped with the Caph-shaped scarf (reference to the WHEEL OF
FORTUNE) and surrounded by the animal symbols of the Four Elements.
In Qabalistic terms, what is represented is, again, the principle of the
Four united by a Fifth which is Spirit. Here we may recall that the earliest
Qabalists (as in the Sepher Yetzirah) discussed only three Elements: Air, Water
and Fire, with Earth and Spirit being a later addition to the philosophy. And, as
we have seen, the Tree of Life has changed form over the centuries to
accomodate such conceptual changes. One such important change has related
to the Thirty-Second Path which in some schemes is the only Path connecting
148 The Qabalistic Tarot
the sphere of sensation to the rest of the Tree. The addition of the Paths of Shin
(JUDGMENT) and Qoph (THE MOON) while primarily bringing the number of
Paths in line with the Hebrew Alphabet, secondarily declared a direct
connection between Malkuth and the two Side Pillars.
One very interesting illustration from the Sixteenth Century shows a
man holding the entire Tree by the Path of THE UNIVERSE . 98 So we see that
for four hundred years, at least, the essential interpretation of this Path as an
experiential foundation for consciously travelling all of the other Paths has not
changed, though the concept has been slightly mitigated by the addition of the
two Paths.
The principle that we grasp the entire Tree through what is taught on
the Path of the Universe is very profound, and brings us back to the idea of the
“As Above, so below.” We have discussed the “Will to Form,” of Binah, the
Great Mother, which is the origin of life consciousness, and which is Saturn in
the exalted Supernal Realm. This is the same energy, now completely expressed,
found on the Thirty-Second Path. The female figure at the center of the card is
the fullest expression of the Great Mother who is THE EMPRESS. She is Isis,
the Aima Elohim, she is Binah, she is Saturn, she is all the principles behind
what we perceive as matter, the Cosmic Dancer who administers and activates
the Elements. She is also a doorway to and from Malkuth, Saturn who both
gives life and destroys it, the great tester who rules both birth and death. When
we die, leaving behind our “animal skin,” it is on this Path that we rise like the
Dancer, surrounded by a ring of stars.
All of the key Tarot decks are agreed that the female figure should be
surrounded by an oval shape of some sort. In Crowley’s deck this is a ring of
stars. In the Marseilles and Waite decks this is a wreath. In the Golden Dawn
deck the oval is formed by twelve spheres (the twelve Signs of the Zodiac) bound
together by seventy-two pearls (the Shemhamaphoresch, or Seventy-Two
Names of God). What is symbolized is both the womb of the human female,
through which the child passes in birth, and the Great Womb into which the
soul passes in death.
The profound symbolism of the Great Mother through which one passes
as a doorway to and from life is, unfortunately, minimized by some writers
(including Case) who state that “tradition” claims the female figure to be
hermaphroditic. That idea is unreasonable, but may be an honest attempt on
the part of some Qabalistic theoreticians to reconcile the feminity of the Path
with the Magical Image of Yesod into which it leads, a “Beautiful Naked
Man .” 99 The latter represents the eternal outpouring of the Christ-Spirit from
Tiphareth, personified within Yesod before it passes down to Malkuth. The
Christian mystery is not simply an event of two thousand years ago to be
recalled with reverence, it is a secret key to a natural pattern. The Christ
(Buddha or Osiris or Krishna) force continues to be bom into our world, be
sacrificed for the benefit of mankind, resurrected and assumed. This is, like the
Yod Heh Vau Heh, continual to the end of time, which will be the end of the
race’s need for sensory experience. Time is, of course, one of Saturn’s primary
restrictions.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life M9
As long as we are functioning within the framework of time, an event,
including the downpouring and uprising of Tiphareth force, must have a
beginning, a middle and an end. Life processes run in waves, or spirals which
come back upon themselves. This is the natural course of the akashic fluid of
Yesod. Thus, again, is the woman shown dancing. She swirls and revolves as
opposed to her most abstract form of energy, THE EMPRESS, where she is
placed solidly on a Supernal Throne. This spiral Force of nature is directed by
the wands which she carries: they represent active and passive energy, each of
which has two poles.
Crowley’s card shows these natural forces as the serpent Kundalini,
described as “Coiled in Yesod.” This is a reference to the primary sexual forces
of nature to be encountered with THE UNIVERSE. These are the forces which
we learn to direct in ourselves and onto which we impose the strictures of Binah,
the Great Mother, the Great Sea.
Water is very important to this Path which is the Great Sea of
consciousness in its most dense and difficult expression. The Thirty-Second
Path might be considered a dark cave, filled with treacherous caverns and
tunnels, some of which lead to the Light, but others of which lead to the
Qlippoth.
31. THE PATH OF SHIN
Judgment
The Twentieth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Glowing Orange
Scarlet
□ RELATED SOUND: C Natural
□ MEANING: Tooth
□ MATERNAL LETTER: Fire
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Spirit
of the Primal Fire
150 The Qabalistic Tarot
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Thirty-first Path is
the Perpetual Intelligence; but why is it so-called 1 ? Because it
regulates the motions of the Sun and Moon in their proper order,
each in an orbit convenient for it.
The Path of Shin, JUDGMENT, joins Malkuth (the Earth) with Hod
(Splendour), the base Sephira and completion of the Pillar of Severity. The
Earth is thus connected with that which is the ultimate expression of Binah, the
Will to Form. It is an activating Path of intellect, while its opposite, THE
MOON is a formative Path of emotion.
What is shown here as “judgment” is a process undergone by the
Personality as it strives to become conscious of its own inner working. But the
judgment is not momentary or limited. It is, as the Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom
describes, perpetual. It is the continuous monitoring of the progress of the
Personality toward universal consciousness. That which is deemed unworthy
by the angelic powers, invoked by the desire of the student travelling the Paths,
is slowly burned away by the redeeming Fire, a process which is actually
physical.
The Golden Dawn text calls this Path the “Splendour of the Material
World,” pointing out the relationship of the Path to the physical body. What is
shown here is a resurrection, a rebirth. This resurrection is based on the
developments of the opposite card to this Path, THE MOON, and relates to
actual physiological changes which occur in the student as the result of the
disciplined quest for a greater reality. In other words, the resurrected body is
physiologically rebuilt, a process stimulated by the energies of Qoph, THE
MOON. This is what Paul Foster Case describes as the process of building a
Master’s body.
This is also a Path where the components of the Personality first
encountered in THE UNIVERSE, are critically analyzed and evaluated
(judged). It is the bright and fiery probationary path of the intellect, as THE
MOON is the dark, cold and watery probationary Path of the emotions. These
are Paths introductory to the true nature of the Self in incarnation and can thus
be extremely difficult. In fact all of the Elemental Paths (THE FOOL, THE
HANGED MAN, JUDGMENT) are difficult to understand. The problem arises
partly in that on each of these Paths all of the Elements are present, in either
expressed or unexpressed form. We shall return to this concept.
First, let us consider the pattern of the Maternals. The Sepher Yetzirah
states that Air produces Water which produces Fire. THE FOOL is pure Air,
THE HANGED MAN is Air acted upon by Water, JUDGMENT is Air and
Water acted upon by Fire within the vehicle of Earth (the crucible which, in
Spiritual Alchemy, is our own body).
The Golden Dawn and Waite cards picture Air above, with Water
between two sections of Earth. It is understood that the Air, Water and Earth
are being heated and activated by the Fire. There are no flames here, for the
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 151
action is a slow and steady (perpetual) one brought about by the Archangel.
This effect is on the component dualities of the individual, which are symbolized
by Fire and Water: Mind-consciousness (Water) is activated by the Dynamic
Principle (Fire) in the presence of the equilibriating Spirit (Air) within the
physical vehicle (Earth). The Path of JUDGMENT is, therefore, aimed at
producing a balance within the individual, necessary for a total understanding
of the Personality structure and its relationship to the greater universe.
But to say that “balance” is produced on this Path raises a question. One
might well ask how it is possible for there to be balance in any Path which is not
on the Middle Pillar. The answer is found in the idea that every symbol is a
duality, containing its own opposite. As with the flashing colors, a symbol is
only functional insofar as it is a self-contained balance of two extremes. To
extend this principle to the Paths, we see that each Path must contain the
essential components of its opposite Path. Here we may return to the example of
Hod and Netzach, which relate to JUDGMENT and THE MOON respectively.
Intellect applied without feeling is as pathological as feeling applied without
intellect. When we travel the Path of JUDGMENT we learn the lessons of THE
MOON. And, taken to the most refined aspect of the Tree of Life, when we travel
the Path of THE MAGICIAN, we learn the lessons of THE FOOL. Such cards
are antithetical, but mutually explanatory. It is not possible to deal with any
card without its opposite energy being present. And since the cards represent
types of consciousness, it can be said that everything which we experience,
every idea, every activity, co-exists in us with its opposite.
Such lessons on the Paths are extremely practical, although this cannot
be obvious as one begins to juggle the slippery concepts related to the four
symbolic Elements. On the other hand, the pictures on the cards bear a strong
relationship to the visual experience of the Paths, and a great deal can be
learned by meditation on them. Path images are archetypal representations of
actual inner roads built through centuries of mind work by the most advanced
men and women of all ages. These images are largely constructs built to assist
us by those who have gone before. It is in this that many falter, believing the
construct (the concretized symbol on the astral plane) to have a reality of its
own. It is only beyond the lower astral that one touches upon the realities which
activate the symbols.
We may step onto the JUDGMENT Path and experience initially what
is shown in the Tarot card. Yet beyond these visual constructs, we come to
understand that the Path is the ennervating, activating effect of the cosmic
motive principle on the individual consciousness: the Fiery Spirit permeates the
Personality consciousness in the descent of energy into matter. In the
purposeful ascent of the Path of Shin the last illusions of the separateness of the
Personality are burned away.
To reiterate the Qabalistic symbolism: Shin contains all four Elements:
Fire, Water, Air and Earth. This concept may be explained developmentally:
The evolution of the cosmos is from the most simple to the most complex. It goes
from nothing to something. This is (applying the principle of “As Above, so
152 The Qabalistic Tarot
Below”) a process not dissimilar to that of the Zygote, which begins as a single
cell, is fertilized and grows into a living human organism. The cells of the
Zygote multiply over and over again until they are a body which is the
receptacle of the Holy Spirit on this earth. At any stage of development, from
the single fertilized cell, to the finished product, the whole is implicit in the
developing parts. Thus does the One grow to the ten or ten thousand or ten
billion uncountable mind cells which form the corpus of the universe. The
ultimate simplicity is THE FOOL, and the ultimate complexity is THE
UNIVERSE. But THE UNIVERSE and all the other cards are implicit,
unexpressed, in THE FOOL. Thus, with the cards in between, we find different
stages of that which is expressed and unexpressed. Given any specific card on
the Tree, the energy of all the cards above it are expressed while the energies of
those cards below it are present but unexpressed. Each defines a stage of
development. And, using this logic, it may be appreciated that in THE FOOL
Air is expressed, while Water and Fire are implicit. In THE HANGED MAN Air
and Water are expressed and Fire is implicit. When we come to JUDGMENT we
again find Air and Water expressed, now set in motion by the full expression of
Fire.
Here it must be repeated that these patterns will be utterly meaningless
until a real understanding of that which is symbolized by the various
“Elements” emerges. Every Qabalistic symbol relates to some specific part of
the Self, the Tarot Keys being very precise definitions of parts of the human
whole.
The Paths of JUDGMENT, THE UNIVERSE and THE MOON are
aspects of the normal waking consciousness of the Personality. They also
represent stages of self understanding. JUDGMENT is the card where the
divine forces meet the aspirant for the Mysteries, where the Personality is lifted
from the tomb of matter and evaluated on the extent to which it has balanced
the four Elements of Malkuth. It is for this reason that people have such varying
experiences on this Path; each personality must face what it is and has been,
very squarely, answering the call of the Angel whose presence has been invoked
by the Fire of desire.
In all accounts it is Gabriel who blows the trumpet of the Last
Judgment, and most will assume that it is Gabriel who is represented here. But
this is not a Last Judgment at all, and the Archangel is Michael, Angelic Ruler
of Hod.
Further information about this card is conveyed by the meaning of the
Hebrew Letter, insofar as the name of each letter is a word. Yet, as such words
are attributed to the Tarot Keys there is wide latitude for interpretation within
the confines of the qualities described by the given word. Shin, in this case,
means tooth, suggesting hardness, sharpness and biting. It can be interpreted
as the teeth which chew prior to the ingestion of energy into the system, i.e., as
that which causes a release of energy (the Kundalini force). Tooth can also be
taken to mean that which kills, here meaning the final blow to the perception of
the Personality as separate.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 153
Such descriptive words amplify the symbolism of numbers, so important
to the Hermetic Qabalah. As has been demonstrated, the number 300 assigned
to Shin reduces to 3, the number of the Sephira Binah; the number of the card,
20, reduces to 2, that of THE HIGH PRIESTESS. The principle here is that
numbers of the Hebrew letters are reduced and manipulated relative to the ten
Sephiroth, while the numbers of the cards (0-21) relate to other cards. Of course,
the connection with other cards is made on more than numerical grounds. For
example, the fact that Shin is Fire suggests thta it relates to two other important
cards, THE TOWER (Mars) and THE SUN.
This connection with THE SUN is made explicit in the Golden Dawn
“Book T,” which describes the angel here as Michael, Ruler of Solar Fire. It is he
who blows the trumpet calling down the influence of Binah. Another reference
to the Supemals is the Red Cross Banner, which stands for the Four Rivers of
Paradise, as well as the four letters of the Divine Name.
The rainbow in the Order’s card, containing serpents representing the
Fiery Seraphim, is undoubtedly that which surrounds the fiery Throne of God
described in Revelation. 100 This rainbow encloses the Archangel who seems to
emerge from the Fire triangle itself.
At the base of the card, rising from the tomb facing the angelic presence,
is Arel, Ruler of Latent Heat. He is also the candidate for the mysteries who
follows this Path of Fire. The male figure at the left is Samael, Ruler of Volcanic
Fire. Opposite him is Anael, Ruler of the Astral Light, represented in duplicate
in that she is Demeter-Persephone and Isis-Nephthys.
Crowley’s card, called “The Aeon,” departs completely from tradition,
and is important in that his personal philosophy is more imbedded in this
imagery than in that of most other cards of the Thoth Tarot. Overall, the
Crowley deck is illustrative of the Book of the Law, a document which he stated
was revealed to him and which is the core of his teaching. The Aeon also relates
to what he called the Stele of Revealing. 101
This card, he explained, supersedes all earlier concepts of the Key, and
shows the harmonious and spiritual state of human existence which will be on
the earth in the mid twenty-second century. That condition is symbolized by the
Sky Goddess Nuith, and her consort Hadit (represented as a golden orb of light).
They produce Horus, here shown seated and standing, his active and passive
forms. Crowley also points out that another name for Horus is Heru, which is
synonymous with Hru, “The Great Angel set over the Tarot.”
What Crowley proposes here is highly consistent with Qabalistic
doctrine, i.e., that the system evolves to meet the needs of spiritual evolution of
the race. Assuming that JUDGMENT represents a stage in the development of
the race and of the individual Personality consciousness, he is suggesting that
there will come a time in the not so far distant future when the spiritual make-up
of mankind will have so advanced that JUDGMENT, as previously known, will
no longer describe the experience of this Path. He further asserts that we are
now passing into a five hundred year period of extreme darkness and trial,
preparatory to a new Aeon of Light. 102
154 The Qabalistic Tarot
30. THE PATH OF RESH
The Sun
The Nineteenth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Orange
□ RELATED SOUND: D Natural
□ PLANET: Sun
□ MEANING: Head
□ DOUBLE LETTER: Fertility-
Barrenness
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Lord of
the Fire of the World
*
n
o
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Thirtieth Path is the
Collecting Intelligence and is so-called because Astrologers
deduce from it the judgment of the Stars, and of the celestial
signs, and the perfections of their science, according to the rules
of their resolutions.
The Path of Resh connects Hod (Splendor) with Yesod (the Foundation),
and is the first of the Paths of the Personality triad to be encountered in rising
on the Tree. It is an active Path on the intellectual-formative side; it is the
activating force of the Personality which, like the Higher Self and the Spiritual
Self, is composed of a “masculine” (intuitive-dynamic, Yod) and a “feminine”
(intellectual-formative, Heh) and a set of energies which are the result of the
opposing interaction of the two (equilibriating, Vau).
THE SUN (Resh) is described as the “Collecting Intelligence,” meaning
that it exercises control over a number of given components, in this case the
Signs of the Zodiac which are symbolized by the twelve rays emanating from
THE SUN. These Signs are the twelve guideposts of Personality and receptacles
of Planetary influences, one of which governs the birth and life course of each
incarnation. Thus the Sun is central not only to the incarnation at hand, but
acts as a link between the Personalities which have been experienced in other
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 155
incarnations. It is also collecting in that all of the component parts of the
Personality, discovered on these lower Paths, are here infused with the dual
action of the Sun, light and warmth. It may appear curious, but these are
considered intellectual qualities.
The activity of this Path is intellectual. In fact, the Path of THE SUN is
the highest level of the human intellect, as THE STAR is the highest level of the
emotions. They are balanced by THE TOWER, although looking at that card
may hardly inspire confidence that a balance is taking place. Yet this
represents the effect of the combined energies of THE SUN and THE STAR.
More will be said of this in a later section.
Resh means head, which is consistent with the idea that this is the
highest Path of human intellect, and that this is the “Collecting Intelligence.”
In this regard there is an interesting illustration from an alchemical manuscript
of 1606, showing a figure with an orb-shaped body which is headless, but holds
the Sun above. Beside this figure is written: “The World.” 103 The head is the Sun
itself, held above the material body; without the Sun-head, there could be no
world. Mathers corroborates this idea by calling THE SUN the “Splendour of
the Material World.” So the card basically represents the intellect acting upon
the dualities of the human condition, consciousness and its earthly vehicle. This
is the point of connection of the human intellect with the higher intellect, the
Greater Life. The Sun is also the Son who carries on the work of the Father.
The Thirtieth Path is a composite one: The Four Elements, the Signs of
the Zodiac and the Planets are all involved, under the rulership of the Sun, as is
symbolized by the Hexagram. That figure means the perfect integration of
Personality and Higher Self. On the Tree of Life this is shown as the interaction
of the Astral and Ethical Triangles, God the Son of Tiphareth being primary to
both. However the energies may be symbolized, the Path of THE SUN is a very
important initiatory one.
The experience of THE SUN is very profound, for it is an introduction to
the inner sun which is the light of the personality as the physical sun is the
light of the material world. On this Path one experiences the warmth and light
but, as on the plane of sensation, it is a sun at which one cannot look directly
without suffering damage. The opposites attributed to Resh by the Sepher
Yetzirah, fertility and barrenness, remind us that the same sun which illu-
minates and causes growth can destroy utterly. The blessing of the farmer is
the curse of the solitary traveler in the desert, and it is on this Path that one
discovers the great potentials of this power. This is the initiation of the
Personality to the great source of inner light, an initiation which takes place
within the physical vehicle (walled garden) and affects the dual components of
the Lower Self.
An important point must be repeated here, one all too often neglected by
those who discuss the Paths: Work on the Paths brings about definite
physiochemical changes in the human body. In his study course, The Thirty-
Two Paths of Wisdom, Paul Case emphasizes the extent to which this is the
case. In describing the Path of Resh, he says of the man who has achieved
adepthood:
156 The Qabalistic Tarot
. . .marked inner differences from the average person are due to
psychological contrasts to the mental states of ordinary human
beings, but they are also the outer signs of organic changes inside
the skin of the new creature. He is chemically and structurally
unlike genus homo. There are different constitutents in his blood
stream. Through his nervous system pass currents of force not
present in most human bodies because in his organism channels
are open which are closed in the physical vehicles of most persons.
Centers in the nervous system and in the brain, and glands related
to them, function differently in the body of an adept from the way
they do in the bodies of the greater number of his contem-
poraries . 104
It must also be borne in mind that the Personality, the component parts
of which are symbolized by these lower Paths, functions through the body as an
experience-collecting vehicle for the Spirit. One of the most serious mistakes
which can be made is to conceptually divorce the physical body from the Powers
which created it and which function through it. This is the crucible of the
Alchemists, and the Sun is an important symbol in the Alchemical process of
“turning lead into Gold.”
The Paths of the Personality lead directly into the physical vehicle, i.e.,
that consciousness which we know as “self’ is directly connected to our bodies.
The Higher Self functions through the Personality if its influence is to be
brought to the physical plane, as Pure Spirit must function through the Higher
Self. Of course, there is no actual separation between these three: The Tree of
Life describes a racial perception of a pattern of separation. But since perception
varies widely from organism to organism, each individual must literally create
his own Qabalah. The experience of the Path of Resh is critical to the
development of this individual Qabalah. It is, moreover, the Path where one
may receive the acceptance and imprint of those beings who direct the inner
learning experience of the student. It is the point at which the student may be
admitted to candidacy for the greater initiation of Tiphareth.
A considerable number of discoveries are made on this Path leading into
Hod, a realm described by some as the point where the Inner Teachers exert
their influence on the material world. This is a Path where the nature of the
relationship between mind and body may become clear, where one begins to
understand the control and limitations of the intellect. It is also a Path of
awakening to the use of the tremendous sexual power of Yesod. It is the point at
which sexuality is understood to be the great “secret” force manipulated by the
initiate of the Mysteries.
Yesod is the Moon, sexuality, the ebbing and flowing Astral Light
beneath our material existence. Hod is Mercury, the first differentiation of the
specific Personality. It is hermaphroditic, both male and female, as these
qualities have yet to be separated out when considering the Sephira on a
downward course toward mainfestation. The Path of THE SUN, thus consider-
ed developmentally, is the point of childhood of the emerging Personality as it
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 157
builds toward a new incarnation. When we travel this Path upwards, we return
to this point of new innocence. It is, quite literally, a growing younger, a process
of birth backwards until we reach a stage where there is some recollection of the
source from which we emerged.
This youthfulness, the Childhood of the Sun, is represented in Waite’s
card. Here, following an iconography developed by L6vi, a child is shown riding
a white horse, symbol of Apollo, the Sun God. The implication is that on this
Path we become the child Apollo.
The Golden Dawn card, basically following the Marseilles version,
shows two naked children in a garden enclosed by a wall. One is standing on
earth, the other is standing on Water. These are the purest expression of the
positive (male) and negative (female) principles in incarnation, interwoven as in
the Chinese Yin and Yang. The active male principle operates through the solid
earth, while the passive female principle operates through the fluid conscious-
ness of water. They hold hands to indicate that their activities are reciprocal.
This is also a reference to Gemini, the sign which links Taurus (Earth) and
Cancer (Water). Gemini was also the sign referred by the Greeks and Romans to
Apollo and to the Sun.
The relationship of the Sun to the Zodiac is of some importance, as is
indicated by the twelve rays in both the Golden Dawn and Crowley cards (Waite
used 22 and the Marseilles deck 16). The Zodiac relates to Chokmah, from which
the energy of this Path ultimately derives. The patterns of this energy are,
moreover, shown by the salient and wavy rays, the alternating male and female
currents. The seven falling Yods (Chokmah, again, being the ultimate source of
the Yod) refer to the energies of the planets, under solar rulership, descending
into matter.
Crowley’s card is related to JUDGMENT, which he called The Aeon. It
shows Heru-Ra-Ha, the Lord of Light who is the ruler of the new aeon to come,
the next stage of human development. Appreciating this emphasis, it is
curiously amusing to realize that Crowley has based the card on his own family
crest, “the Sun charged with a rose on a mont vert.” 105
According to his explanation, the rose surrounded by the Signs of the
Zodiac shows the development of solar influence. The green mound of earth
beneath the rose-sun means fertility, and is so shaped as to suggest aspiration
toward the higher. As in the other versions, there is a walled enclosure, but here
the children are outside of it, meaning that humanity is no longer bound by the
“prejudices of the people that date morally from about 25,000 B.C.” 106 Most
interesting, perhaps, is Crowley’s point that the cross, from the formula of the
Rose-Cross, will expand into the Sun and twelve rays. It will no longer be
limited by four arms, but will radiate outward freely.
One especially significant idea connected with this Path is, as the
Golden Dawn ritual of the Twenty-Ninth Path states, that the “Sun embraces
the whole of creation in its rays.” 107 This idea is conveyed in a variety of ways,
such as by the four sunflowers and twenty-two rays in Waite’s card, meaning
the Four Worlds and Twenty-Two Paths. The Golden Dawn card shows ten
flowers, to represent the totality of the Tree of Life. And Crowley’s card, as has
158 The Qabalistic Tarot
been noted, attempts to show the expansion of the Rose and Cross in
relationship to the central Sun of manifestation. Thus, it too refers to the
totality of creation made warm and bright by the rays of the Sun. Of course it is
necessary, once more, to observe the distinction between the two sides of the
Abyss. Creation and light mean all of Microprosopus to which Tiphareth is
central. Potential, yet darkness, refers to Macroprosopus, i.e., the Supernal
Triangle.
29. THE PATH OF QOPH
The Moon
The Eighteenth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Crimson (Ultra-
violet)
□ RELATED SOUND: B Natural
□ SIGN: Pisces (Mutable Water)
□ MEANING: Back of Head, Ear
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Sleep
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Ruler
of Flux and Reflux. The Child of
the Sons of the Mighty.
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-ninth Path is
the Corporeal Intelligence, so-called because it forms every body
which is formed beneath the whole set of worlds and the
increment of them.
The Path of Qoph connects Netzach (Victory) with Malkuth (The
Kingdom), and is described not only as the “Victory of the Material World,” but
as the “deceptive effect of the apparent power of Material Forces.” Crowley calls
this Path the “Gateway of Resurrection. . .the threshold of life. . .or spiritual re-
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 159
birth, may be considered at two levels: First, in the course of incarnation, it is
the stage of the soul’s organization of the physical body which it will inhabit. It
is a “Sleep” (as attributed to Qoph by the Sepher Yetzirah) preceding the
waking mortal consciousness, a form of pre-consciousness differentiating into
matter from the collective unconscious of Netzach. Second, in terms of the
spiritually-developing individual, it is a conquest of the phantoms reflected
from the material world, what the Golden Dawn described as “The Child of the
Sons of the Mighty,” meaning the “creations of the created.” This is a watery
Path of probation, where the student must face and conquer the phantoms of the
darkest recesses of his own mind, as well as those of the race.In that sense it
can be a terrible and frightening Path, involving real dangers to the emotional
stability of those who are not strong enough to handle this experience; such
inner disturbance may actually result in serious physical problems. On the
other hand, tradition states that the successful treading of this Path confers the
powers of “bewitchments and casting illusions.” When we slay the dragons of
the deep recesses of our sleep-consciousness, and understand their mechanisms,
we gain the capacity to manipulate those qualities in ourselves as well as in
others.
The meaning of Qoph is the back of the head. It is behind the head itself,
which is Resh (THE SUN). Thus, what is symbolized by THE MOON is anterior
to the bright intellectual awareness of THE SUN. At this level of the Tree the
Moon only reflects the light of the Sun; the Path at the center of the card is going
from the dark side of the Moon, toward the light side on which the Sun shines
directly. Here is should be noted that Crowley disagreed pointedly with the
Golden Dawn and Waite interpretation which say that the Moon is in its
increase. The rationale given is that the crayfish is the symbol of Cancer,
meaning that when the Sun is in Pisces, the Moon will be increasing in Cancer.
So the Crayfish emerging from the Water, at one level, was intended to mean:
“the Sun below the horizon as he ever is when the Moon is increasing above .” 109
Another important idea expressed in the Golden Dawn manuscripts is
that of the crayfish imagery developed from the Scarab or Dung-Beetle . 110
Crowley developed this idea, making the dung-bettle central to his card and
emphasizing the darker aspects of the Path. He called this “The Waning moon
of witchcraft, and abominable deeds. . .the poisoned darkness which is the
condition of the rebirth of light .” 11 The rebirth of the Light out of a hideous
and abominable darkness is his primary concern, one admirably symbolized
by the beetle, a reference to Kephera, Father of the Gods, and the great God
of creation and resurrection . 112 The Beetle, or Scarabaeus, (called kheprera
by the Egyptians) was the God’s key symbol. As a species, this is a beetle
which lays its eggs in a ball of dung, which it pushes along, and from which
the eggs eventually hatch as they are subjected to the warmth of the Sun. The
dung-ball was considered to be like the Sun itself, for it contained all that was
necessary for growth and nourishment.
In some respects the form emerging from the waters is both the highest
and the lowest. It is the very originator of life as it is Kephera, the God who is
said to have emerged as a beetle “from the watery mass of Nu.” It is the highest
160 The Qabalistic Tarot
creative force, beginning its material self-expression as the lowest organic form.
The crayfish means the organic evolution of the human race; it also refers to the
cellular development of the physical vehicle from the inner roots of nature. And,
as an originator of form, Pisces (ruled by Jupiter) relates to Chesed. The very
earliest Golden Dawn papers, the so-called Ancient Cypher Manuscripts say of
Pisces “by it the waters of Chesed flow down ,” 113 meaning that it is a primary
formative consciousness at the lowest level of the Tree.
Of course, the most important Tarot reference to the Moon is with THE
HIGH PRIESTESS, the Path of Gimel leading directly from God the Father to
God the Son. The High Priestess is the source of the crystal clear waters of
consciousness emerging from the Godhead. The same waters are seen here in
THE MOON, but they are polluted! This is not to imply that there is anything
intrinsically evil on this Path. Rather, its phantoms relate to the density of the
physical body, that compound organism affected by all three Paths leading into
Malkuth: JUDGMENT, THE MOON and THE UNIVERSE. As has been
described, the process of travelling the Paths has a definite effect on the body.
The physical vehicle is subtly modified as the Light descends into it, and as the
Personality becomes increasingly aware of the presence and activities of the
Higher Self.
Relative to the human body, the Path of THE MOON is an organizing
(formative) one. It is described in the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom as the
“Corporeal Intelligence,” which Case tells us means “body consciousness.” He
notes also that the root of the word “corporeal” in Hebrew means “to rain
upon .” 114 In each of the three cards Yods are shown “raining” down upon the
Path. Or, as Pausanius described, these might be the tears of the Moon-Goddess,
which caused the Nile to rise and fall . 115 There is, in any event, a general
agreement that something descends from the Moon to the Earth on this Path as
is symbolized by the falling Yods.
In Waite’s card there are fifteen yods, a possible reference to the bondage
of matter symbolized by the fifteenth Key, THE DEVIL. The Golden Dawn card
shows four yods, one for the powers of each of the Four Worlds, while Crowley
uses nine as a reference to Yesod. He describes these as “drops of impure
blood ,” 116 meaning the cycle of menstruation. He describes the Path as a stream
of serum tinged with blood.
Indeed, the activity of menstruation and its dark blood is intimately
connected to this Path, the Path of childbirth presided over by the Greek
Goddess, Artemis . 111 As the sister of Apollo, the Sun, Artemis was the Moon.
Like her Roman counterpart, Diana, she was a goddess of the hunt, travelling
through brutal and mountainous woods with her pack of hounds. Thus is
childbirth linked with the most savage aspects of Nature. The Goddess, like the
Path, can be vicious and unforgiving, her legend being filled with qualities at
once dark and vindictive. Any breech of her regulations was immediately and
ferociously punished. So, from the standpoint of Greek legend, the dogs of THE
MOON may be considered those of Artemis, ready to attack and destroy men
who displease her. The very idea is barbaric and uncivilized, as is the Path of
Qoph. This is a primitive Path, one of raw animal nature. It is a Path of animal
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 161
instincts (the law of the jungle), passions and energies uncontrolled by
intellectual, moral or ethical considerations. This can be a very cruel Path,
showing us aspects of ourselves which society forces us to repress, but which are
an integral and undeniable part of our human make-up. Yet we approach the
images and lessons of this Path with our whole being, applying reason to that
which we encounter, as we apply feeling to that which is encountered on the
Path of JUDGMENT.
THE MOON is one of the cards for which tradition has provided a very
definite structure, both the Golden Dawn and Waite cards being wholly
dependant on the design shown in the Marseilles version: Two dogs (in Waite’s
deck they are a dog and a wolf) stand threateningly beneath a personified moon,
between two desolate towers. A crayfish is in the water below. Here it is at least
interesting to observe that in the Marseilles version no Path is shown, and it is
only by inference that one realizes that the crayfish will eventually pass
between the two very ferocious dogs.
Mathers and Crowley were in agreement that these should actually be
considered the jackals of Anubis, the scavengers of the dead. Anubis was the
jackal god, and the great god of the Underworld, charged with both the
judgment and the embalming of the deceased. In the Tarot this means the
natural deterioration of the physical body in death, the return of its energy into
the unseen, as well as a suggestion of correspondence with the Path of Shin,
JUDGMENT. The implication is that the activity of natural forces on the body
in death is concurrent with the “weighing of the soul” on that Path.
Anubis is a very complex god of lunar opposites, as is suggested by
Crowley’s dual figures. Anubis is a god of light and of darkness, of death and of
resurrection, whose cult was a fascination to those ancient societies in the
shadow of Egypt. Describing the subtleties of this deity’s cult to the Romans,
Plutarch wrote:
By Anubis they understand the horizontal circle, which divides the
invisible part of the world, which they call Nephthys, from the
visible, to which they give the name Isis; and as this circle equally
touches upon the confines of both light and darkness, it may be
looked upon as common to them both -and from this circumstance
arose that resemblance which they imagine between Anubis and
the dog, it being observed of this animal, that he is equally
watchful by day as night. In short, the Egyptian Anubis seems to
be of much the same power and nature as the Greek Hecate, a deity
common both to the celestial and infernal regions . 118
Pursuant to the idea of Anubis and resurrection, there is a definite
relationship to the Christ legend. It can be said, however whimsically, that in
an obscure medieval symbolism the lobster is a symbol of the risen Christ . 119
And, one must be exceedingly cautious in dismissing such symbolism out of
hand, because of the Tarot’s very elusive, but unquestionably medieval, origins.
In the fourteenth century every symbol, however occult, was related to Christ.
162 The Qabalistic Tarot
One way or the other, birth, death and resurrection are pivotal concepts
on the Path of THE MOON. These are not symbolic processes; they are
biological, and occur in the darkness and the light of our sense perception. The
energy process, a cyclic wave motion, is shown by Crowley as a pattern of both
above and below, linked by the Beetle of the Sun.
To reiterate the meaning of this murky Path in the most simple of terms:
this is the natural energy from which our physical bodies develop in the womb.
It is a process that is continual throughout our lives, as cells die and are
replaced. The work of this Path is ended with the dissolution of energy back to
its source, which is Netzach.
To understand this Path is to understand the relationship of our
personality-consciousness to the physical vehicle built for each incarnation, a
very difficult undertaking for most people, who perceive themselves as having
existence only through their bodies. Here the meaning of the simple letter Qoph,
sleep, gives an important clue. During the cyclic phase of withdrawal of
consciousness from the physical, most people continue to act on information
and fantasies closely related to their bodily existence. Their dreams are filled
with the shades of matter which, once consciously transcended, is the conquest
of the Path of THE MOON.
28. THE PATH OF TZADDI
The Star
The Seventeenth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Violet
□ RELATED SOUND: A-Sharp
□ SIGN: Aquarius (Fixed Air)
□ MEANING: Fish Hook
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Imagination
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Daugh-
ter of the Firmament: the Dwel-
ler between the Waters.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 163
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-eighth Path
is called the Natural Intelligence, and it is so-called because
through it is consummated and perfected the Nature of every
existing thing beneath the Sun.
The Path of Tzaddi, THE STAR, connects Netzach (Victory) with Yesod
(The Foundation). It is a very powerful Path which points out the way in which
the Divine Energy inherent in each individual is properly approached. The
letter Tzaddi means fish hook, implying meditation, a process closely linked
with the use of imagination. In these terms meditation is described not as
taking-out of something, but as a putting-in (merging) of two streams of
individual consciousness with the greater consciousness. And while this is a
path of primal intuition, the vessels represent a separation and then re-
integration of the Chokmah force (feelings and intuition, at this level) and
Binah force (intellect). The symbolism of the fish hook in meditation is easily
extended to the Tree of Life: The Hook (Tzaddi, THE STAR) is put into the
waters of Mem (THE HANGED MAN) to catch the fish (Nun, DEATH). Water
is, again, a symbol of consciousness. As we experiment with meditation and
imaginative visualization, casting ourselves into the Universal Sea, we seek an
understanding of the very processes of life and death.
The Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom describes this Path as the Natural
Intelligence, suggesting the raw forces of nature attributed to Netzach; the
Elohim (Gods of Netzach) are synonymous with nature itself. Moreover, this
Natural Intelligence is related to the energies symbolized in another card,
STRENGTH. The number of THE STAR, 17, reduces to the number of
STRENGTH, 8. That card represents the conscious control of Kundalini energy,
variously described as solar and as sexual. We recall that the serpent Kundalini
(the same which tempts Eve on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) is said
to be “coiled in Yesod,” although when it is shown on the Tree of Life it touches
each and every Path. As we encounter the Kundalini force, the sexual energies
in ourselves, we approach the Greater Mysteries of Tiphareth, the Solar Logos
which is the central star of our existence. The process of approach is a kind of
yoga, involving the ennervation of centers of energy. It is this energy which we
use in the meditation process; it is both the means and the goal of enlighten-
ment, for, as the text states of Tzaddi: “Through it is consummated and
perfected the Nature of every existing thing beneath the Sun.” THE STAR is the
means of perfection; it is the method.
As Case states of this method: “Meditation is really a function of the
EGO, which raises to the conscious level the powers of the automatic
consciousness of Yesod. . .however much it may seem to us at first that
meditation is a personal activity, when we really succeed in meditation we
discover that what happens is not that we meditate, but rather that we are
meditated.” 120 The idea is that the Higher Self (what Case is calling the Ego)
brings the Personality into meditation. The “fish hook” is partially the search
of the Personality consciousness for reality in the context of meditation, but it is
also the angling of the Higher Self to pull the Personality up from its depths of
self-enclosure.
164 The Qabalistic Tarot
The figure on this card is the most pure manifestation of the Great
Mother at the level of the Personality, and prior to its enclosure in matter. For
this reason it is completely unveiled: it is the perfection of the physical form of
nature, i.e., of “every existing thing under the Sun,” meaning below the level of
Tiphareth. This is the same figure first found in THE EMPRESS, robed and
crowned; it is the same figure as THE HIGH PRIESTESS: it is the same figure
found in THE UNIVERSE.
In the Golden Dawn card the woman is shown pouring the contents of
both urns (Chokmah and Binah) onto the earth so that they “unite and form a
river at her feet.” 121 In the Waite card the urns are pouring their substance onto
earth and water. Crowley’s symbolism is far more complicated. He represents
two breast-like cups, one gold and one silver: “From the golden cup she pours
this ethereal water, which is also milk and oil and blood, upon her own head,
indicating the eternal renewal of the categories, the inexhaustible possibilities
of existence. The left hand, lowered, holds a silver cup, from which also she
pours the immortal liquor of her life. . .She pours it upon the junction of land and
water. This water is the water of the Great Sea of Binah; in the manifestation of
Nuith on a lower plane she is the Great Mother.” 122 Crowley describes the
repeated spirals on this card as a reference to the shape of the Universe as
calculated by Einstein and his followers. He points out that only in the lower
cup are there rectangular forms and says that “In this may be discovered the
doctrine which asserts that the blindness of humanity to all the beauty and
wonder of the Universe is due to this illusion of straightness.” 123
The Golden Dawn representation of THE STAR carries more specific
information about this Path than the others, although it is hidden in the
intricacies of number. On this card the seven primary rays of the star, and the
fourteen secondary rays add up to 21. This is the number of Eheieh, the God
name of Kether, telling us that the relationship of this Path to the Godhead is
far more direct than is obvious on the surface. Moreover, the Golden Dawn
imagery carries with it an explanation of why THE STAR, transposed with
THE EMPEROR by Crowley, belongs firmly planted on the Twenty-Eighth
Path where tradition has placed it.
The Key to all of this is the two trees on either side of the female figure.
These are the Tree of Life on the right, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil on the left. Biblical scholars will immediately recognize the symbolic trees
described in Genesis; Adam and Eve were forbidden the fruit of the latter tree,
though not of the former.
The Bird of Hermes above the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (the
Ibis) amplifies the meaning of the Tree in this card. It is a reference to THE
MAGICIAN, the card of Hermes-Thoth-Mercury. In Hebrew the word kokab
means star, but more specifically it means Mercury. Thus we understand that it
is necessary to apply the willpower of the Magician, the directing force in
meditation, if we are to learn the lessons of this Path.
The Zohar, speaking of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil explains
that if a man lives uprightly, it is a Tree of Good, but if he lives unjustly, it is a
Tree of Evil.” 124 This does not imply the acceptance of any social doctrine or
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 165
law, or any rule of social conduct. It means simply functioning in accordance
with the Universal Will. And here in the card, we see that the lower branches of
this Tree are a reversal of the principles symbolized by the branches above.
Each branch represents one of the seven Planets (six around the Sun), with
Saturn representing all three Supemals (Figure 30).
Figure 30. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
So we understand that this Tree, related to the expulsion of Adam and
Eve from the condition of “heavenly bliss” symbolizes the dualities of good and
evil, pain and pleasure, harmony and disunities of the human condition. The
bird above, while a reference to THE MAGICIAN and the will, points out that
wisdom emerges from a right understanding and control of the daily aspects of
our lives. The Hermetic Mysteries serve to explain all that is called good or evil
in our lives, and to help us to transcend the limitations which are imposed by
these qualities. It will also be seen that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
is toward the side of the Pillar of Severity. Its opposite, The Tree of Life is on the
side of the Pillar of Mercy, for it is a gift of God balancing the severely polar
lessons of the other Tree. The very practical point implied here is that we must
continually refer the lessons of the inner worlds, the results of meditation, to our
daily lives, and vice versa.
What is shown in this Key is the Garden of Eden, a state of beginnings.
But a complicated question arises as to why that Garden should be represented
in a card so low on the Tree of Life and, indeed, why it should form one of the
primary Paths of the Personality. This is explained by a reference of this Path
to a higher Path, that of The EMPEROR.
The correct Hebrew title of this card is O'* 301 on (ha-kokabim),
meaning the Stars, rather than the Star. Case made this point, noting that some
early French and Italian decks use the plural Les Etoiles and Le Stelle for this
reason. 125 And while Case did not expand the idea, admirers of Crowley will
immediately recall the statement from his Book of the Law, causing him to
reverse THE EMPEROR and THE STAR, that “Tzaddi is not the Star.” Indeed
166 The Qabalistic Tarot
it is not a single Star, nor is it THE EMPEROR. Yet there are many Qabalistic
ways in which THE EMPEROR (Heh) and THE STAR (Tzaddi) correspond.
One such link, again demonstrated by the Master of Gematria, Paul Case, has
to do with the fact that the Hebrew ha-kokabim has the same numerical value
as DTKn *|3K (ehben ha-Adam), The Stone of Adam . 126 This is a symbolic
reference to the union of the Supernal Father, Chokmah, with the Sun,
Tiphareth i.e., The Path of THE EMPEROR. Netzach is the Chokmah energy at
its lowest arc, on the base of the Pillar of Mercy. Its Elohim are the lower
expression of the YHVH Elohim of Binah, which the book of Genesis tells us
created the Garden and the two Trees. The Path of THE STAR is, thus, the lower
Eden, the Eden of the Personality. The Path of THE EMPEROR is, as will later
be considered, the fiery aspect of an upper Eden, the Eden from which the
Higher Self emerges.
THE STAR shows Eden “restored” by Adam, a reference to Tiphareth,
to which Adam is attributed. This lower Eden is a state to which the Personality
can directly relate. Here, too, we recall that the creation of Man, the formation of
the individual consciousness from the collective unconscious, begins from the
point of Netzach. It is also the highest level of the Personality’s intuition, as
opposed to the Path of THE SUN, which is the highest level to be reached by
intellect.
The airy sign Aquarius, associated with peace, love and inspiration, is
given to this Path. In the ancient world, Saturn was said to govern Aquarius,
which refers us again to Binah and, in fact, to THE UNIVERSE. Here it should
be clear that THE STAR relates to a great many more Paths than most other
Keys and, as such, is of special importance. Crowley stated the reason for this
better than other commentators. He said that “here the Universe is resolved into
its ultimate elements .” 127
This resolution is implicit in the very figure of the central Star itself,
which is a merging of many lights. It is a shining forth from a central exalted
point which has been related to Lucifer. That angel is seen not as an underworld
figure, but as the Light-Bearer, the “Morning and Evening Star,” usually
considered the Planet Venus, the mundane Chakra of Netzach.
27. THE PATH OF PEH
The Tower
The Sixteenth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Scarlet
□ RELATED SOUND: C Natural
□ PLANET: Mars
□ MEANING: Mouth
□ DOUBLE LETTER: Grace-
Indignation
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Lord of
the Hosts of the Mighty
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 167
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-seventh Path
is the Active or Exciting Intelligence and it is so called because
through it every existent being receives its spirit and motion.
The Path of Peh, THE TOWER, connects the center of the reasoning
process (Hod) with the center of the intuition-desire nature (Netzach). It is the
equilibriating Path of the Personality, related to Mars, and to the North, the
quarter known traditionally in the Mysteries as “the place of greatest
darkness,” because it is said that the Sun never shone in the North of Solomon’s
Temple. Yet we are instructed that Light comes from Darkness, that “gold
cometh from the North,” and that “Enlightenment has its origin in the hidden
sources of power which terrify the minds of the ignorant .” 128
Peh is a double letter, meaning that it is one of the “Gateways of the
Soul,” with two possible directions of passage. As a word, Peh means mouth, an
orifice related both the taking of nourishment into the system and to speech. In
the first case we understand that it is through the function of this devastating
Path that the higher energies are brought in to enervate the Personality. And
while spiritual nourishment passes into the system via this symbolic mouth,
speech passes out of it.
Anyone who has done some practical esoteric work is aware of the
singular importance of words and of the sounds of which these words are
composed. The vibration of a God Name (its utterance in such a way that it can
actually be felt in the body) has a definite effect on the physical vehicle as well
as a concomitant effect on the psychic vehicles. This is a fact easily tested by the
student, although the effect on the psyche may not be completely perceived by
the waking consciousness.
“Words of Power,” properly vibrated with martian force, help to bring
about the destruction of our personal Towers, false concepts and institutions
which we believe to be reality. But it should be understood that to tear
something down is to make room for something new. Mars may be a god of war
and destruction, but it is also the God which rules over the fertility of crops . 129
And, relative to speech, we know that the Logos is also called the Word.
168 The Qabalistic Tarot
Most versions of this key picture a Tower, set in a desolate landscape,
being struck by lightning. Figures fall from it as the Crown is struck off. In the
most simple of terms, this symbolizes the sudden destruction of our perception
of what constitutes reality. The Tower is the concept of what most people call
“I,” the Personality awareness being shattered by an influx of force revealing
something of the nature of the Higher Self. The Tower also symbolizes all man-
made institutions, whether that means government, religion, or any accepted
values.
Yet this is not to be construed as the striking down of evil. In fact one
title of the card is The House of God. The spiritual learning process involves the
continual building up and striking down of concepts formed only as useful
stepping stones into the inner worlds. For example, on the Paths we first
encounter the Archangels in anthropomorphic guise. This appears to be their
reality, particularly if we may not have believed that Archangels exist in the
first place. What we encounter are contact pictures which have been established
through centuries of meditative practice. These are a useful creation of man,
rather than being the true and pure consciousness of the Archangelic beings. To
encounter the Archangels as formless consciousness means to destroy another
Tower which we have created. Yet these Towers are necessary and sacred. They
are, like the densest expression of ourselves, our bodies, temples of the Holy
Spirit. Appreciating this, we learn to apply the underlying principles of each
Path without being bound by their necessarily artificial outward manifestation.
We know that any Path we follow is, by definition, artificial, whether that be
Qabalah, Hinduism, Catholicism, Judaism or Buddhism, and that each
carefully laid brick of these structures will ultimately be destroyed.
One key symbol of THE TOWER is its very isolation. It stands on a
desolate mountain top. Most individuals perceive themselves in this way, as
totally separate units of consciousness. So the destruction of the Tower means to
experience the True Ego, which is not ours alone. The lightning flash on the
Tower is a sudden realization, or flash of perception, of our real identities. That
lightning is in the shape of the circle and spear of Mars to indicate the power
which initiates the experience.
On the Golden Dawn and Waite cards the lightning strikes the Crown at
the top of the Tower, an obvious reference to the Crown of Kether. But what is
symbolized here is the false crowns of our existence, those man-made values
which we believe to control us. And one of the meanings of the Crown here is the
will, the Primal Will of Kether which is the only true reality. Our conscious
attempt to align ourselves with this Primal Will brings about the destruction of
our belief that we actually have a personal will.
The reference to Mars on the 27th Path points to the Path’s correspon-
dence with Geburah, the fifth Sephira. Here the activity of Geburah in tearing
away obsolete values takes place. Of course, it must be reiterated that the
Sephiroth are the centers of objective energy, while the Paths are our subjective
use of those energies. In varying degree, the energies of all of the Sephiroth are
on all of the Paths, in this case that of Geburah being predominent. We also
recall that Netzach and Geburah, Venus and Mars, are integrally linked, and
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 169
that the Gods associated with both Hod and Netzach are called the Gods of
Armies.
It is for good reason that Crowley sub-titled his card War. Throughout
esoteric literature spiritual self-development is often described in martial terms.
The Bhagavad Gita, for instance, describes a symbolic battle of the component
parts of the Self: Krishna is the Higher Genius, guiding Arjuna onto his inner,
and personal, field of battle.
Far too many people make the mistake of assuming the process of
spiritual development to be one of “sweetness and light,” a misconception
fostered primarily by Christianity. THE TOWER points out that inner growth
must be a painful and overwhelming process. Nature is not always kind to us.
Once we invoke the inner forces we soon discover that what we get is what we
need, and that is not always what we want. Most of all, it is often not what we
expect. The branches of the Tree of Life are, as this card suggests, filled with
surprises!
The surprise and suddenness of insight is symbolized both in the Golden
Dawn and in the Waite card by the lightning flash. Crowley’s version
represents the same principle, but attempts to demonstrate some of the more
subtle shades of meaning of the Path. He tells us also that his card represents
the “preface” to the coming of a new era shown in the 20th Key, JUDGMENT.
His version of THE TOWER represents the destruction of the old order.
As in THE STAR, Crowley uses straight, geometric lines to mean that
which is made by man. He points out that since perfection is Nothing (literally
no-thing ): “all manifestations, however glorious, however delightful, are
stains.” 130
In his card the all-seeing Cosmic Eye observes and directs the disruptive
process of the Tower’s destruction, while Dis, a Roman God of the dead, belches
flames from the structure’s base. On either side are the Serpent and the Dove,
representing “the two forms of desire. . .the Will to Live and the Will to Die. . .”
He says that they are also the “masculine and feminine impulses.” 131
In both the Golden Dawn and Waite cards two figures are shown falling
from the Tower. Case explained them as the dual modes of the lower personal
consciousness (consciousness and sub-consciousness) while Mathers called
these the Kings of Edom. Waite presumably agreed with Mathers insofar as his
two figures both wear crowns.
Reference to the Kings of Edom leads us to some very subtle meanings of
this card. The fall of the Kings of Edom refers to the conquest of that nation by
the Jews, led by Judas Maccabeus. There is, however, a much deeper meaning
imbedded in that fall, a meaning which is discussed at some length in the
Zohar. That book states that prior to the creation of our universe there were
other universes, or forms of existence, with which the Divine Creator was
displeased, and which he thus reduced to a state of chaos or nothingness. 132
The Tower, furthermore, has other biblical implications. It is the Tower
of Babel, a parable wherein the relationship of Speech-Tower is clearly shown:
After the flood the descendants are said to have settled in Babylonia (Babel)
where they built a city of brick. They built a tower in a supposed attempt
170 The Qabalistic Tarot
to reach up to, and conquer, the heavens. Seeing these men as coarse and
ambitious, God sought to punish them. Where previously “the whole earth was
of one language and of one speech,” and men could work in unison, God
imposed diverse languages, forcing a dispersion across the land. In symbolic
terms, the building of a tower of false notions results in confusion; it is
acceptance of the limitations of “language,” meaning the strictures of any
particular culture. In this sense, then, the Tower also represents the structure of
individual religious systems. Those who are locked into the bricks and mortar of
any system are unable to see beyond that system to the Divine Unity and
purpose which is the Light of all true religions.
The extent to which the implications of this card go far above even the
level of the Christ center of Tiphareth is shown by the three windows in both the
Golden Dawn and the Waite cards. The number three is a reference to the
Supernal Triangle, meaning that the activity of THE TOWER somehow
involves our cosmic selves. Crowley uses the symbol of the Cosmic Eye (the
third eye of inner vision) but the meaning is precisely the same. Here is the
involvement of God the Father. What happens is that the Path of THE TOWER
may be considered the affirmation of the Primal Will that It alone is the True
Crown, thus bringing into balance in the self the pure positive (Chokmah) and
the pure negative (Binah) which stand at the top of each Pillar in our individual,
internal Trees of Life.
In fact, the whole Tree of Life is involved in this Path. Waite suggests
this by placing the Tower between two sets of falling Yods (the descending
Spirit), adding up to twenty-two, the number of the Hebrew letters and of the
Paths. Here it will be recalled that the Lightning Flash is the very means of
creation of all ten Sephiroth.
In the Golden Dawn card an even more profound suggestion is made
concerning our human value systems. On the right hand is seen the Tree of Life,
while on the left is another Tree which is the Qlippbth. As the Tower is struck
down, the opposites of “good” and “evil” are suddenly viewed differently, and
one knows that all that is in the Universe is a part of the One Creator. And
again, as has been repeatedly stated: every created thing contains the seeds of
its opposite.
To this point we have considered the psychological implications of the
Path, ideas which may easily be derived from meditation on the card. But THE
TOWER involves some symbolism rarely found in print. This symbolism is
purely sexual.
In the past the meaning of certain symbols was only broadly suggested
because many in polite society might find them shocking. One such symbol is
the Tower itself, which is a phallus. Moreover the mouth (Peh) may be
interpreted at one level to mean the opening of the male reproductive organ, that
from which the Yod, seed of life, issues. Crowley’s card more than hints at this
by the form of the mouth breathing fire on the lower right. And in his diary of
1923 he is very explicit as he speaks of “the Blasted Tower which is really a
Phallus shooting forth lightnings of seed.” 133 The Fire is the destroyer and the
renewer, for it forces the transmutation of energy from one form to another. It is,
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 171
thus, the initial activator which will ultimately lead to fruition. This becomes
clear as one asks the question: What happens to the Tower, here seen in the
process of being consumed? The answer is that what happens is exactly the
same as in our physical world when something burns. Energy is released to be
restructured and to manifest in another way.
Thus is an extremely important lesson about the nature of transmuta-
tion of energies in the Universe imbedded in this card. The transmutation is so
all-pervasive that it is found at every level of the Tree of Life. Knowing that the
Mars energy is the universal sexual force of Microprosopus, and that the image
of the Tower is in some (though not all) ways the phallus, points to one
important meaning of the card. It is the higher sexual energy destroying the
perception of the Personality about the nature of the sexual function; it is
destruction of the perception of the sex organ itself in orgasm. And, as earlier
noted, one of the precepts of the Mysteries accurately states that “God is sex.”
Needless to say, this precept was not much bantered about in the Victorian era.
There is still another complex mystery to be encountered here. This is
the mystery of circumcision, an idea implied by the striking of the “Crown”
from the top of the Tower. This is unquestionably one of the most secret
meanings of the card, and one which is supported by Gematria. The letter Peh
has a value of 85, which we discover to be the same value as the Hebrew word for
circumcision. It might also be added that when they conquered the Edomites,
the Jews forced them to be circumcised, which allowed the Edomites to be
absorbed into the Jewish society.
The rite of circumcision is of very obscure origin, but it is a practice
known to have been spread by the Egyptians. 134 Biblical texts show that a
number of ideas were involved: 1) It was related to preparation for marriage. In
the case of the Mysteries, this may be taken to mean what is called by
Alchemists the “Chemical Wedding.” 2) It was a rite of initiation into a social
group. 3) It was a “redemption offering,” as is described in Leviticus. 135 4) Most
important, it was a token of the covenant between Abraham and God. In
ancient terms this meant an agreement between two parties, not as a contract in
the modern sense of the word, but as a bi-lateral pledge of loyalty. 136
Thus it may be interpreted that the fall from the Tower, the sacrifice of
one’s perception of the sexual function (a symbolic circumcision) is required
continually of mankind to maintain the covenant between Abraham and God,
i.e., to maintain the given Path by which one may return to the Source of All.
But this is also initiatory; it is a preparation for the Knowledge and Conver-
sation of the Holy Guardian Angel of Tiphareth.
Interestingly enough, the biblical text calls for circumcision of all male
children on the eighth day of their lives. The correspondence with the eighth
Sephira, Hod, connected to Netzach by the Path of THE TOWER can certainly
be suggested.
The Tower is the phallus. But this symbolism does not mean in any way
that the Path is exclusive to those functioning in male incarnations. The Path of
Peh exists prior to the point of differentiation of the sexes for incarnation,
and is thus an amalgam of both masculine and feminine energies. On this Path
172 The Qabalistic Tarot
one must focus on the male component of the sexual force, as on other Paths one
must deal with its female components. A male or female body does, however,
make some differences in the way one approaches the lower Paths beneath
Tiphareth. Energies are polarized differently in the experience of a Path,
according to the sexuality of the physical vehicle. This makes no practical
difference in individual working; only in group working are such polarities of
neccessity considered.
26. THE PATH OF AYIN
The Devil
The Fifteenth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Indigo
□ RELATED SOUND: A Natural
□ SIGN: Capricorn (Cardinal
Earth)
□ MEANING: Eye
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Mirth
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Lord of
the Gates of Matter; the Child of
the Forces of Time
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-sixth Path is
called the Renovating Intelligence, because the Holy God renews
by it all the changing things which are renewed by the creation
of the world.
The Path of Ayin, THE DEVIL, connects Tiphareth, the center of the
Sun consciousness, with Hod, sphere of Mercury and of the intellect. The
twenty-sixth Path is formative and, in terms of the structure of the self, is an
intellectual bridge between the Personality and the Individuality.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 173
Of all the Paths, this may be the most difficult for those rooted in
western cultures to understand, for its interpretation flies in the face of the
meaning which most people have come to attach to the Devil. In Qabalistic
terms, the Devil is not viewed as an evil entity having its own separate
existence. Rather, it represents a special mystery which must be penetrated
before one can directly know the Higher Principle of the Self. The Devil, which
is the adversary, is the Master of manifest form which we must face and
conquer.
Paul Foster Case, in his study course, went farther than any other writer
in pointing to the profound implications of this card. He said: “Of all the keys of
the Tarot, Key 15 is one of the most important. It is the symbolic veil for the
greatest practical secret of occultism. It both conceals and reveals the secret of
the powers ascribed by tradition to Moses, David and Solomon. This is the same
great secret Pythagoras learned in Egyptian temple schools. It is the great
Arcanum of alchemy and magic. To know it is to be able to make the
Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life. Yet those who know it cannot tell. For
the essential point is beyond the power of words to express.” 137 Here we
understand that we are dealing with a Path on the Tree of Life which is a
transition between the intellect of normal waking consciousness and true
spiritual consciousness.
There are three Paths leading directly into Tiphareth: THE DEVIL,
TEMPERANCE and DEATH. Each of these Paths represents a special trial.
But it must be reiterated that the student is not required to travel all three Paths.
Those who choose the devotional Path of the Middle Pillar need deal only with
TEMPERANCE, leading from Yesod to Tiphareth. Yet the choice of following
each and every Path means the acquisition of control over the energies which
each Path symbolizes; every Path confers a unique power. On the other hand, to
travel the Middle Pillar means to understand and balance, within the Self, the
energies of all twenty-two Paths. The difference here is that one can understand
these (conceptual) aspects of consciousness, without necessarily developing the
ability to manipulate these same energies. It might be said that what
differentiates the student magician from the Catholic monk is a greater level of
curiosity. Some, of course, come to occult studies through a desire for raw power,
but quickly learn that if such power is acquired and misused there is a
devastating price to pay. There is no question that the devotional-meditational
Path is a much safer one than the magical Path.
That which is symbolized by THE DEVIL is, in fact, raw power. It is the
force which brings about the transmutation of THE TOWER, a fact underscored
by the relationship of this card to Mars: THE DEVIL is the sign Capricorn in
which Mars is exalted. This is a weighty, even blind, sign of Earth, one which
symbolizes both the highest and the lowest. Yet it is considered a sign of
initiation, or release from the limitations of matter. It is limitation that is
suggested by the rulership of Capricorn by Saturn, the planet of Binah, the
Great Mother. Capricorn governs the limitations of form, whether that means
the enclosure of matter or of time, the artificial system by which we meter and
enclose all activities.
174 The Qabalistic Tarot
The Devil represents the average person’s misperception of reality, the
belief that our material condition is “real” in the true sense of the word. This
misperception is symbolized here in two ways: First, the Devil is intended to be
seen as a humorous figure, the bogey-man of our collective childhood. Our belief
in the illusion of matter created by the energies symbolized in this card is
actually laughable, and it is here more than implied that laughter and good
humor about our lives is a tool which will help us to transcend the illusion. We
must learn not to take our perceptions of the material world seriously. Mirth is
the first great corrective.
Second, our misperception of the real nature of things is suggested by
the inverted Pentagram on the Devil’s head. The sacred symbol of mankind,
turned upside down, means that most people’s vision of the world and its
relationship to a spiritual reality is itself upside down. And the meaning of the
letter Ayin, eye, means that the lesson of this Path is a reorganization of
perspective, a new vision of things. Eye symbolizes both our acceptance of what
we see in the sensory world as real, and the greater vision which comes through
the use of the inner eye. To accept what our physical eye tells us is to be subject
to illusion and bondage, a state symbolized in the Golden Dawn and Waite
cards by the chained figures. The figures are homed to show that they are,
however unwittingly, the servants of this comical creature.
One primary statement of this Path is that the Devil does not exist as he
is postulated by the ignorant. As is written in the Emerald Tablet: “all things
were from One, by the meditation of One,” meaning that there is nothing in the
universe not of God, including the so-called Devil. The card contains one of the
greatest mysteries of the Qabalah, which is that the Devil is the necessary
means of reaching the Christ-Buddha consciousness of Tiphareth. Described
variously as the “source of the forms and appearance of relative existence,” and
as the “Lord of the Gates of Matter and Child of the Forces of Time,” the Devil is
both the Tempter and the Redeemer. He is also described as the “Prince of the
Powers of Air,” indicating that this energy is mediating in the flow of Astral
currents. Air is to be understood here as the whole of Yetzirah, the Astral Plane
which controls the ebb and flow of matter.
This Path confers the ability to bring right-side-up the Devil’s Penta-
gram and to lift his torch upward. In practical terms, this means the ability to
reverse the currents of Astral Light. Intellect and disciplined meditation are the
means by which this may be accomplished, and by which the Philosophers
Stone and Elixir of Life may be produced. The process begins with the intellect
of Hod, and leads into the intuition of Tiphareth. This is the meaning of the text
of the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, which describes Ayin as the Renewing
Intelligence. We understand that it is only through the forces of the Devil, and
our right understanding of them, that we may come directly to the Light of God
the Son. The scriptures state that even Christ, Himself, passed through the
temptation of the Devil. In this the way is pointed out for us more clearly than
fundamentalist Christians could ever begin to suspect.
Eliphas L6vi called this Path “The first physical manifestation of the
Divine Breath.” And here we recall that “Saturn eats its children,” meaning
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 175
that while the creation of the illusion of form is essential to manifestation on the
earthly plane (and is what manifestation actually means) the “dissolution of
these forms is essential to the Path of Return.” For the Alchemists, dissolution
means analysis, which is precisely what we apply when we intellectually
separate the component energies of ourselves and our universe into twenty-two
Paths on the Tree of Life. First we must conceptually (as well as practically)
separate out these component parts, then we must reintegrate them through our
understanding of their operation. To extend an analogy made earlier: it is only
by focusing on each part of our body system, considering each organ separately
that we come to an understanding of how the organs work together to maintain
our physical being. The reintegration, in this sense, is our overall view of the
interaction of the organs. Having come to this overall view, we can then begin to
actively apply the new knowledge. This is a positive phase of using what we
know. It is the step which follows the dissolution and re-integration. But as we
function within an earthly incarnation, everything must be related back to our
mundane condition. Each lesson must be grounded.
This is the psychological meaning of a process which has been described
in symbolic terms over the centuries. Our psychology has given us words for
relationships of energies which the ancients could only symbolize. Words such
as “sub-conscious” and “unconscious” have become such an integral part of our
vocabulary that they are taken for granted. We are thus, more prepared than
any other age to deal with the concepts of the Mysteries, including what has
been variously termed the Akashic Fluid, the Odic Force or the Astral Light.
This force is manipulated, for whatever end one may choose, through an
understanding of THE DEVIL. Here L&vi (who used the term “Great Magical
Agent”) describes the process of manipulation as, to dissolve, to consolidate, to
quicken, to moderate . 138 This is dissolution, re-integration, activity and
grounding. The same qualities can be described as Fire, Water, Air and Earth.
The requisite interaction of the Four “Elements” is also suggested in the
Golden Dawn and Waite cards: The inverted Torch is Fire, the Eagle’s claws are
Water, the wings are Air, and the grotesque body of the Devil is earth. One
interesting, though even less obvious symbolism is in the Devil’s being
represented with the ears of an ass, a mythological reference pointing toward a
sexual interpretation of the card. Priapus was the Roman God of the phallus, to
whom the ass was traditionally sacrificed . 139 (Readers will note that it is
virtually impossible to make this statement without seeming to intend a bad
pun).
The symbolism of the Golden Dawn and Waite cards is essentially the
same, with one exception. In the Golden Dawn card the Devil holds a single
horn in his right hand. This is intended to be the horn of a Ram, the beast or
Aries, the Path of THE EMPEROR ruled by Mars. In this, Mathers pointed to
the most profound meaning of the card, for this is also the Jewish Shofah, the
ram’s horn which sounds the call to prayer at Yom Kippur. Thus does the Devil
hold up the very means of release from bondage. In him is both that which
enslaves and that which confers freedom. Moreover, we are led to understand
that what is symbolized by the Path of THE EMPEROR is the pure energy
176 The Qabalistic Tarot
(recalling Aries to be the first Sign of the Zodiac, and initiator of Spring) which
causes the fall of THE TOWER, and the testing of JUDGMENT. All bear a
relationship to Binah, which is a fiery red in Atziluth.
Crowley’s card is far more complex than the others and is, again,
explicitly sexual. He describes the Key as representing “creative energy in its
most material form,” and as “Pan Pangenetor, the All-Begetter.” His goat is
Pan standing on the highest mountain-top on earth, against “a background of
the exquisitely tenuous, complex, and fantastic forms of madness .” 140 Between
the legs of the goat is the wand of the Chief Adept. It takes little observation to
realize that what Crowley has represented in his card is a penis with two
testicles, appropriate in that he considered this card to mean the most male of
all male energies. He makes a further statement by having the tip of the male
organ outside the card, symbolically in the greater heavens, while the testicles
contain the bound-up forms of physical manifestation.
Undoubtedly there are many who will be made uncomfortable by the
recurrence of pointedly sexual symbolism in the cards. This symbolism has
been understood by initiates of the Mysteries for centuries, but it is only recently
that our society has reached a stage of maturity where such ideas may be
discussed openly and in proper perspective. Certainly, any adult will agree that
orgasm is the most powerful natural force to affect the human body, yet it is
merely an indicator of a power of God so overwhelming that our minds cannot
begin to conceive of it . 141
25. THE PATH OF SAMEKH
Temperance
The Fourteenth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Blue
□ RELATED SOUND: G Sharp
□ SIGN: Sagittarius (Mutable
Fire)
□ MEANING: Prop
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Anger
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Daugh-
ter of the Reconcilers, the Bring-
er Forth of Life
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-fifth Path is
the Intelligence of Probation, or is Tentative, and is so called
because it is the primary temptation, by which the Creator trieth
all righteous persons.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 177
The Path of Samekh, TEMPERANCE, leads from Yesod to Tiphareth,
from the Moon to the Sim, from the Personality to the Higher Self. It is among
the most important and difficult Paths of the entire Tree, and one on which the
very enormity of the Great Work may be experienced. It has been called a Path
which is the “Dark Night of the Soul,” 142 a Path on which one enters a deep
tunnel in the belief that the Light is to be found at the end of it. This is a Path of
trial and temptation, called the Intelligence of Probation. It is also known as the
“Daughter of the Reconcilers, the Bringer Forth of Life.” In his 777 Crowley
made this comment on the letter Samekh: It is “The Womb preserving Life. Self-
control and Self-Sacrifice govern the Wheel.” 143 All of these phrases direct us to
the idea that behind this card, ultimately, is the Great Mother, the Q> ni rv>
(YHVH Elohim) of Binah. For this reason the central figure of both the Golden
Dawn and Crowley cards are female. Moreover the Twenty-Fifth Path is
that of Sagittarius, the Archer who is also Diana the Huntress, Goddess of the
Moon. This repeats the principle that all of the figures of the Tarot (except THE
FOOL) are Mother-Binah and Father-Chokmah under different guises.
In her function as Diana she governs the tides of earth, and the
fluctuations of the Astral Current. She is the natural framework and support for
the waxing and waning of the energies of existence. She is the Prop, the very
meaning of the word Samekh. The Great Mother is, thus, the “Womb preserving
Life.” She is restriction and control over natural energies; all of the energies of
the manifest universe are controlled and manipulated within specific bounds
and restrictions.
In their Voice of Isis, Hariette and Homer Curtis describe the Universal
Mother as the “power of bringing forth in humanity the Divine Child or the
Christ.” 144 It is that which in every individual brings about the contact of the
Personality with the inner divine light. This is, in Qabalistic terms, the
Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Rising on the Path
of TEMPERANCE leads to our bearing of the Child, which is ourselves reborn.
Key 14 is the beginning of an awareness of the Higher Self of Tiphareth.
The card demonstrates not the experience itself, but how the experience is
brought about, i.e., through an exchange and balance of opposites which can
178 The Qabalistic Tarot
only be symbolically described. The use of symbols here has nothing whatso-
ever to do with secrecy, but is merely reflective of the inadequacy of language to
describe the process.
Crowley’s card is the most specific, showing the process in alchemical
terms, where Fire becomes Water and Water becomes Fire. And, as we
appreciate that the primary alchemy takes place within the body of the
alchemist himself, we can also appreciate that this card is describing an actual
physical effect. It is not nearly so symbolic as some might believe.
The willful interchange of Fire and Water is the merging or tempering of
energy opposites within the body, here symbolized by a stream poured back and
forth from one vase to another. This is the Living Water, consciousness vivified
by being merged with the Fiery Spirit. The process is one of bringing the
Spirit into the body so that it tempers the consciousness, and is itself tempered
by the consciousness, thus forming something new, something which is “more
than the sum of its parts.” This is the personal application of the Yod (Fire) and
Heh (Water) uniting in the individual to produce Vau (Air) within the body
which is Heh-final and Earth.
The process involves an inner manipulation of sexual energies. Indeed,
the symbolism of the arrow released upward is one of spiritual orgasm. Such
an interpretation may appear extreme, but is actually well-accepted in
Christian iconography. The ecstasy of Theresa, the sixteenth century mystic
and Saint, is described as an angel thrusting a flaming arrow into her heart.
This symbolism of the piercing arrow which brings ecstasy and enlightenment
appears to be a universally applicable (indeed archetypal) description of a real
process.
What happens is the establishment of a rhythmic masturbatory motion
of inner energy. The mental control of this energy, its conscious manipulation, is
symbolized by the interchange of Fire and Water, or by the interchange of fluid
between vases. The key to this actually simple process is the infinity symbol, the
figure eight which Waite uses above the figure of his MAGICIAN. It is an ebb
and flow which is confined, i.e., is used within very specific perimeters (thus the
womb symbolism) but which is taken in either direction at will. As one changes
the rate of vibration of this inner energy, one raises or lowers the level of
consciousness, i.e., moves from Chakra to Chakra or from Path to Path.
To explain all of this in a more simple way: At the lowest level, Water
(which we have previously described as consciousness) being acted upon by Fire
(the sexual, Kundalini energy) produces the images of the astral, the pictures
which form in our minds. These are the Air (Vau) quality, as our minds are the
grounding Earth. The principle is one of producing a consciously-controlled
vision, one which is limited by the will. The important point to understand is
that most of the word symbols of Alchemy, Hermeticism, Qabalah, etc., describe
processes to which anyone can relate. They are neither remote nor complicated,
especially at the level of Assiah. And, in some respects, this whole symbolic
language has been totally superseded by the language of psychology as
established by Carl Jung and others.
It should be added that the Metals described in Alchemical literature are
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 179
the same as the Seven Chakras of the Hindus, the Seven Planets and the
Sephiroth of Microprosopus. These words have been used as codes over the
centuries, meaning seven distinct levels of objective consciousness. Thus, when
one speaks of a Planet ruling a sign of the Zodiac, what is meant is the
relationship of a Sign to a given center of energy both in the Greater Universe
and in the Human body.
Sagittarius is the sign of the Zodiac related to TEMPERANCE. Its
Planetary ruler is Jupiter, meaning Chesed, but also to some extent the WHEEL
OF FORTUNE, tenth key of the Tarot.
Chesed is suggested by the blue colored robe worn by the Golden Dawn
angel, the color of the Twenty-Fifth Path in Atziluth. On the figure’s breast is a
golden square, a further reference to Chesed, to the number four and to matter.
In the Waite card the square is covered by a triangle, meaning that all of the
manifest Universe is governed by the Supernals. Here we recall that Chesed is
the architect of all manifestation, working with the pure “potential to form” of
Binah.
To reiterate the important meanings of TEMPERANCE: 1) It refers to
an actual physical process, one which has been the secret of mystics for
centuries. 2) This process involves an interchange of opposite energies directed
by the will. 3) The process is set in motion at the level of the Higher Self. It is
instituted in Chesed, the most refined level of Microprosopus to which the
Higher Self is central, and the Sephira where the will to form of the Great
Mother is enacted. 4) Until this process is accomplished, the Higher Self cannot
be known to the Personality.
The whole experience is one of preparation of the Personality, and the
body in which it is operating, to deal with an influx of Light which would be
devastating to a system unready to handle such energy. Most important here is
the monitoring of progress, the continual testing from above. It is the angel here
which is at once the Higher Self and the initiatory forces of Nature, which pours
the elixir from vase to vase. This is an ongoing process of testing, measuring to
see how much the physical vehicle can bear. When it can handle the stress of the
energy interchange here symbolized, the arrow is released. On the other hand,
the Angel makes certain that no individual is allowed more than it can handle.
The result of taking on too much at once is an admonishing jolt, from this angel,
not soon to be forgotten. The angels, described as sentinals at each inner gate,
are there for our own protection.
Some special insights may be derived by considering the description of
the letter Samekh in the Sepher Yetzirah, although the terms in this document
lend themselves to an extraordinary range of interpretation. The word anger
( tin ) is referred to Samekh. However, Case states that this is a “blind,” and
that the original meaning of the Hebrew word was quivering or vibration. 145
Such an interpretation is entirely consistent with the alchemical symbolism, for
the interchange of Fire and Water is a control of inner vibrations. But there are
two other meanings of “anger” which might be appropriate to this Path. First is
the idea of anger in the sense of Divine rage, a passion so overwhelming that its
force draws the bow and releases the arrow of Sagittarius on the upward Middle
180 The Qabalistic Tarot
Pillar. Second, is an aspect of the Mysteries only rarely discussed, and certainly
germane to the Twenty-Fifth Path: this is the very real hostility often felt by the
student toward the Path itself, as he works day after day and seems to be
getting nowhere. Such hostility and frustration is in itself a major test; it is part
and parcel of the work prior to the emergence of inner proofs. The anger, if it
may be called that, is dispelled along this Path, as the Spirit begins to fill the
vessel in which the elements have been purified to receive it.
The relationship of this Path to three others provides one of the best
interlocks of Qabalistic symbolism, for the combined letters of the three lowest
Paths, P , v , and n , spell the Hebrew word for bow. The same word also means
rainbow, a recurring symbol in the Tarot. These three Paths are the forces
which, when combined, send the arrow skyward toward Tiphareth. These are
the three minor tests prior to the major testing of TEMPERANCE. To even
approach the twenty-fifth Path one must have begun to temper the “Water” of
The MOON (P) with the “Fire” of JUDGMENT (a) and ground the inter-
change on the Path of THE UNIVERSE ( n ). This work is suggested in THE
UNIVERSE by the bi-polar rods carried by the central figure.
The Golden Dawn and Waite cards are very similar in their symbolism,
both following tradition very closely. The Golden Dawn vases are red and blue
to symbolize an interchange between opposite energies (Chokmah and Binah in
their Atziluth colors). The vases on the Waite card are gold to show that all of
this is an operation of the Sun. That planet is also represented by the sign on the
angel’s forehead, and by the sphere above the Golden Dawn angel’s head. In
both cases, also, the angel has one foot on solid water and the other on land
meaning solid matter and fluid consciousness. The Water is somewhat
representative of Yesod, the lower source of this Path, the Foundation which is
the source of the dualities of our sensory condition and which controls their ebb
and flow. These are the opposites which we seek to manipulate through the
conscious use of the Solar Fire shown in the background as a flaming volcano.
Crowley’s symbolism is at once more complicated and more explicit,
although the meaning of the card which he calls Art is precisely the same as the
others. And, of those cards in which Crowley deviated radically from traditional
design this is one of the most successful. It graphically demonstrates complex
and subtle principles only vaguely suggested by the Waite and Golden Dawn
cards.
Crowley points out in his Book of Thoth that this card is the complement
and fulfillment of Key six, Gemini, THE LOVERS. It is “the Consummation of
the Royal Marriage which took place in Atu VI. . . It is the same formula, but in
a more advanced stage. The original duality has been completely compensated;
but after birth comes growth; after growth puberty; and after puberty,
purification .” 146 There is a perfect interchange. The alchemical Red Lion has
become white, and the White Lion has become red. Water is poured on Fire, Fire
is merged with Water, all within a golden cauldron which is understood to be the
purified physical vehicle.
It will be seen that a tiny arrow rises toward the breasts of the figure,
which are arranged in the form of the six planets of Microprosopus around the
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 181
Sun. Moreover, the method of successfully treading this Path is cryptically
given in the Latin inscription around the figure: Visita Interiora Terrae
Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem which means, “Visit the interior parts
of the earth; by rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone.” The stone,
sometimes referred to as the Philosopher’s Stone is the ultimate goal of
alchemy.
Obviously, it would be impossible to expand here on the system of
alchemy and the Great Work, to which Crowley refers. It must, however, be
added that Crowley’s use of alchemical symbolism has some private meanings
specific to his system. As in THE TOWER, he mentions that there is a special
secret here, known to LX° initiates of his O.T.O., and one which readers will not
be surprised to discover is again blatantly sexual.
In his book Sexuality, Magic and Perversion Francis King explains a
“code” in which the sexual techniques of the O.T.O. were described: “This code
was drawn from the traditional technical terminology of alchemy. The penis
was referred to as the athanor, the semen as the serpent or occasionally the
blood of the red lion, while the vagina was called the curcurbite or the retort. The
secretions that lubricate the vagina were called the menstruum of the Gluten,
sometimes abbreviated to the menstruum, and the mixture of semen with
vaginal lubricant was termed the First Matter, or when supposedly transmuted
by the magical powers of the participants in the rite, the Amrita or Elixir.
“The initiates of the IX° claimed that success in almost any magical
operation, from the invocation of a god to ‘procuring a great treasure’ could be
achieved by the application of the appropriate sexual technique .” 147
24. THE PATH OF NUN
Death
The Thirteenth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Green-blue
□ RELATED SOUND: G Natural
□ SIGN: Scorpio (Fixed Water)
□ MEANING: Fish
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Movement
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Child
of the Great Transformers; the
Lord of the Gate of Death
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-fourth Path is
the Imaginative Intelligence, and it is so called because it gives a
likeness to all the similitudes which are created in like manner
similar to its harmonious elegancies.
182 The Qabalistic Tarot
The Path of Nun, DEATH, is one of the three Paths leading from the
Personality to the Higher Self. As a preface to its study one may usefully
consider comments by Case and Crowley. Says Case: “Key 13 tells the Secret of
Secrets. . .he who knows the secret has in his hands a power which might be
used to overturn the world. Yet no person learns it until he is truly prepared, and
more than anything else, this means such ethical preparation that no
temptation to misuse this power could ever be sufficient to turn the knower from
the path of strictly constructive and beneficent application of the force he is able
to control.” 148 One may also recall Case’s statement about THE DEVIL that “It
is the symbolic veil for the greatest practical secret of occultism.” As we shall
see, the similarity of description for these two cards is no coincidence.
Crowley comments on the far-reaching implications of this particular
card. In discussing the fish, meaning of Nun, he says: “This symbol resumes the
whole Secret Doctrine.” 149
The great importance of this Path is pointed out by its very position on
the Tree of Life. It is on the Path of the Flaming Sword between Tiphareth and
Netzach, meaning that it is the Path of emanation of the Lower Creator-Energy
into matter; it is the Path on which the energy of God the Son is transformed
into the first sphere, or pattern of energy underlying the material world. In
terms of the individual man, this is the Path on which the Higher Self directs
the Personality “downward” into incarnation. Considered on an upward course
of personal evolution, it is the Path on which the Personality energy, projected
by the Higher Self, is absorbed in physical death or reconceptualized in
initiation. The Great Work involves much which could be called psychological
re-orientation; there is a perceptual change about the nature of reality and about
what constitutes the Self. This is one aspect of the “transformation” on this
Path.
The transformation involves leaving the desire nature of Netzach and
being absorbed into Tiphareth. This desire nature is the very essence of the
Personality which functions entirely in terms of the satisfaction of its needs and
wishes. The very will to live, meaning the desire of the Personality to continue to
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 183
function in the sensory condition, is abrogated on the Path of DEATH. Here the
temporary and illusory nature of the Personality is correctly self-perceived. The
Personality undergoes a willful “death,” surrendering everything that it
believes itself to be. Most difficult is that this total surrender of life, this
initiatory sacrifice, must precede the experience of cosmic awareness. One is
required to give up the totality of one’s being, one’s very life, in relative
darkness, yet in the faith that there will be a resurrection into the Light. As
Jung puts it: “By descending into the unconscious, the conscious mind puts
itself in a perilous condition, for it is apparently extinguishing itself .” 150 It is, as
Gareth Knight described, a “Dark Night of the Soul,” much as on the Path of
TEMPERANCE, another of the three Paths leading from the Personality to the
Higher Self. One may proceed to the experience of the Higher Self on any of
these Paths, but the lessons of all three Paths must be mastered. THE DEVIL,
TEMPERANCE and DEATH are different perspectives and aspects of the same
thing, TEMPERANCE being the Path of meditation between Ayin and Nun.
This might more easily be understood by considering the idea that the figure of
THE DEVIL, the Angel of TEMPERANCE and the skeleton of DEATH are all
aspects of the Higher Self.
Encountering such a tightly defined trinity of Tarot Keys, one may
wonder how the universally applicable principle of the mn» may relate. In
this case DEATH is Yod-Fire, THE DEVIL is Heh-Water and TEMPERANCE
is Vau-Air, the result of the interaction of the other two. The Sepher Yetzirah, of
course, speaks of only the Yod, Heh and Vau. As applied to these three cards, the
Yod Heh and Vau are forces interacting in our own physical vehicle, the Heh
final.
It will be seen that while the Tree of Life has a Path called DEATH,
there is no opposite Path of Birth. This can be explained in two ways. The first is
that THE DEVIL, which enchains in matter, is in some ways the card of birth!
But, more important is the fact that both birth and death are essentially the
same transition. As one is bom into this world, he dies to an inner world; as one
dies to this world, he is bom back into the same inner world of origin. So this
card represents the symbolic passing through a gateway which is at once the
utter destruction of one phase of energy, and the transformation of that energy
into something else. But the transformation is directed from above. Thus is the
Tarot Key called The Child of the Great Transformers. It is also the Lord of the
Gates of Death. Nun is not the Great Transformers themselves, he is their Child.
Nun is not Death, rather he is the keeper of its Gates. Herein lies an important
principle for the real understanding of this card.
Another symbolism which may be very helpful is an alchemical one. To
this Path is attributed putrifaction, the decaying black mass in the crucible
which eventually turns into gold. It is the emergence of new life from death. Of
the four cards shown, only Crowley’s suggests this idea. The Crowley, Golden
Dawn and Marseilles versions all show the skeleton of Death wielding a scythe,
a tool of the harvest which is also a symbol of time, and thus of Satum-Binah,
giver and destroyer of Life. Only in Crowley’s card does the destructive sweep of
the scythe also produce bubbles in which new forms of life are seen to be
184 The Qabalistic Tarot
developing. This is the resurrection which follows the transformation of Death.
In fact, both Crowley and Mathers attribute the skeleton to Osiris, a God slain
and resurrected.
Of course, in all cases, the skeleton represents that which remains after
the maggots of earth have consumed the flesh. The skeleton is the framework of
the organ system, and is thus central to growth and fruition. Interestingly
enough, as the word Nun is a verb it means to sprout or to grow. In this we can
view the skeleton as a symbolic and perpetual seed. The plant dies in the winter,
but not before producing seeds which will regenerate its image in the spring.
The image which carries over is a kind of spiritual skeleton, a pattern
unaffected by the transformation of the plant: The plant becomes the seed,
which again becomes the plant. This is what is meant by the words of the
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: “. . .it gives a likeness to all the similitudes which
are created in like manner similar to its harmonious elegancies.” Meditation on
this idea will reveal the ultimate message of the DEATH card, which is rather a
distillation of the entire Great Work or, as Crowley said of the fish symbol,
“resumes the whole Secret Doctrine.”
Nun means fish; Tzaddi means fish-hook. And while the Sepher
Yetzirah relates imagination to Tzaddi, the later Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom
calls Nun the Imaginative Intelligence. To make this symbolism less mysteri-
ous, the documents imply that on the Path of Tzaddi we begin to develop the
tools of Creative Imagination which are required to tread the difficult Path of
Nun, i.e., to make the transition between Personality and Higher Self. Again,
everything is summed up by the fish symbolism.
The fish is a traditional symbol of what the alchemists call First Matter,
an almost impossible subject to describe, but which is the mind-substance of
everything that is. Gareth Knight says that the best modem definition is offered
by Coleridge and is the “Primary Imagination .” 151
The fish has also, since perhaps the second century A.D., been a key
symbol of Christianity. In the earliest Church the Eucharist was not specifically
represented, but was implied in a number of innocuous meal scenes. The most
common of such scenes was the Agape or Friend’s Meal. Iconographers describe
such scenes as a f radio panes, meaning that bread is broken symbolically. In
the earliest Agape scenes, several figures are shown around a table with a fish
at the center. This fish, always shown alive, and often in dual form, represents
Christ who offers himself as the symbolic meal.
Christ came to be associated with the fish, primarily through the
imagery of the Miracle of Loaves and Fishes, another convenient way for the
early Christians to secretly represent the Eucharist. It is also related to a title of
Christ: Jesus Christ Son of God Savior. When the first Greek letters of this title
are combined, they spell Ichthos, the Greek word for fish . 152
The environment of fish, that from which it comes, is Water, and in
Christian terms, this means Christ coming from Mother Mary Binah, who is
often called Stella Maris and the Great Sea.
The astrological sign attributed to Nun, Scorpio, is symbolized in three
ways. It is the Scorpion, the Serpent or the Eagle. This is the transition on the
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 185
Path of DEATH from the dangerous creature which poisons and crawls upon
the earth, to the Serpent which weaves its way (a reference to the Astral Light)
upward, to become the Eagle which soars above all heads.
Crowley uses all three of these symbols. His skeleton has the Scorpion
and Serpent at the feet and an Eagle behind the head. Most suggestive is that
the Serpent wraps around the Fish. This is a circular, swirling activity, a
movement which the Sepher Yetzirah describes as the attribute of Nun. In this
context, movement means change, continual transformation which is the
skeletal pattern of the Universe, i.e., that on which all else is predicated.
Movement is the primary activity of the Mars force ruling Scorpio. And
as Mars is involved, so are DEATH, THE TOWER and the fifth Sephira,
Geburah. Moreover, THE EMPEROR is this Mars energy during the daylight,
while DEATH is the same energy in the dark of night. This is, again, the
darkness of unknowing, the “Dark Night of the Soul” described by Saint John
of the Cross. What he says of this condition applies to THE DEVIL.,
TEMPERANCE and DEATH: “. . .although this happy night brings darkness
to the spirit, it does so only to give it light in everything; and that, although it
humbles it and makes it miserable, it does so only to exalt it and to raise it up;
and although it impoverishes it and empties it of all natural affection and
attachment, it does so only that it may enable it to stretch forward, divinely,
and thus to have fruition and experience all things, both above and below. . ,” 153
His reference to the loss of natural affection and attachment is a comment on
the diminishing of the desire nature of the personality. There develops, in fact, a
dreadful emptiness, almost a complete disinterest in everything, even concern-
ing whether one lives or dies. Life’s processes cease to hold value. Yet with this
feeling, one pushes ahead, almost mechanically, but with great faith. The Soul
moves forward inch by inch, in an indescribable blackness (the “dark night,”
the “putrification”) in the belief, and not always so sure, that the light will
eventually appear to lead the way.
All that is involved relates to the sexual energies. Scorpio rules the
sexual organs as Mars rules Scorpio. It is the reproductive energy which is
consciously directed in practical exercises such as that of the Middle Pillar . 154
Crowley’s version of DEATH best indicates this activity.
The Golden Dawn card is quite traditional, with two exceptions. First,
the Eagle of Scorpio is at the upper right, changing from the form of the Fiery
Serpent. Opposite this is the darkened Sun which is intended to represent the
process of putrification, from which spiritual gold will eventually emerge. It is
also the Christian “Darkness at Noon.”
Waite’s departure from tradition, showing Death as a mounted skeleton
in armor represents another aspect of the Path, which is its warrior quality.
Here Waite has drawn on medieval representations of Death, depicting him as
the Black Knight. Behind him is the fallen King of matter; before him a Bishop
in fish-head Mitre, supposedly intended to indicate the passing of the Piscean
Age. The rising Sun behind the dual Towers, first seen on the Path of THE
MOON, is also a reference to resurrection, the conquest of death. Finally, and
most interesting in this version, is the banner with the White Rose of ten petals.
186 The Qabalistic Tarot
five inner and five outer. Insofar as the Rose is based on five, it is a reference to
the Martian force of Gebruah. But the totality of the ten petals means the
involvement of the entire Universe under Kether, because of its white color. This
also means THE FOOL, and Uranus, to which the white rose is related.
23. THE PATH OF MEM
The Hanged Man
The Twelfth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Deep Blue
□ RELATED SOUND: G Sharp
□ MEANING: Water
□ MATERNAL LETTER: Water
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Spirit
of the Mighty Waters
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-third Path is
called the Stable of Intelligence, and it is so called because it has
the virtue of consistency among all numerations.
THE HANGED MAN, the Path of Mem, connects Hod and Geburah on
the Pillar of Severity. It is also a connecting channel between the Personality
and the Higher Self, although its initiatory implications are very different from
those three Paths leading directly into Tiphareth. This Path, and the symbolism
of the card, is a complete departure from anything previously encountered.
This is a curious imagery, and most people react to it by turning the
figure right side up. The eighteenth century writer Court de Gebelin even
thought the hanging figure to be a mistake, claiming that the man was
originally a symbol of Prudence, standing on one foot while deciding where to
put the other . 155 And though such an interpretation may seem comical today, it
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 187
is actually only in the past few decades that the true and complex meaning of
this Tarot Key has been publicly revealed. Arthur Edward Waite avoided the
issue as well as any other knowing writer of his day. He said: “It is a card of
profound significance, but all the significance is veiled. . .1 will say very simply
on my own part that it expresses the relation, in one of its aspects, between the
Divine and the Universe.” 156 Perhaps the best clue offered by Waite is that the
figure is intended to represent a Fylfot Cross (Swastica), and is thus related to
Kether in some very essential way.
Most important is that this is the Path of Water, the letter Mem being
one of the three Matemals. And, in some respects, this is a Path of baptism into
Maternal Water. In fact, it could be stated that the experience of each Maternal
Path is a baptism: Shin is the baptism of Fire (JUDGMENT), Mem is the
baptism of Water (THE HANGED MAN) and Aleph is the baptism of Air (THE
FOOL). The water baptism is the central, and pivotal experience of the entire
Tree of Life.
Water means Consciousness, the First Principle of the Alchemists, the
non-wet substance of which everything is produced. This substance, sometimes
called the Thinking Principle, is symbolized by water because it has some of the
qualities of physical water, particularly in its wave movement. In its lowest
expression it is the Astral Fluid first discovered on the Path of the UNIVERSE,
drawn down from Yesod, the Foundation. This helps to explain the particularly
cryptic description of Mem from the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: “The Twenty-
Third Path is called the Stable Intelligence, and it is so-called because it has the
virtue of consistency among all numerations.” That is to say that the
Intelligence operates in every sphere (Sephiroth and Paths, i.e., “numerations”)
and in the same way. The Astral Fluid, the Water, underlies everything that is.
One can describe the qualities and activities of this Water, but it is not until the
Twenty-Third Path that one is actually absorbed into it, i.e., is “drowned” in
these waters and perceives himself as an intrinsic and inseparable part of the
One Consciousness.
We are, today, living in a period when much of the complicated and
remote symbolism of the past is being expressed in very comprehensible
psychological terms. In discussing an experience of the Collective Unconscious,
Carl Jung quite literally describes the experience of THE HANGED MAN. He
speaks of:
. . .a boundless expanse full of unprecedented uncertainty, with
apparently no inside and no outside, no above and no below, no
here and no there, no mine and no thine, no good and no bad. It is
the world of water, where all life floats in suspension; where the
realm of the sympathetic system, the soul of everything living
begins; where I am individually this and that; where I experience
the other in myself and the other-than-myself experiences me. . .the
collective unconscious is anything but an incapsulated personal
system; it is sheer objectivity, as wide as the world and open to all
the world. There I am the object of every subject, in complete
188 The Qabalistic Tarot
reversal of my ordinary consciousness [author’s italics] where I am
always the subject that has an object. 157
Almost four hundred years earlier, in his Dark Night of the Soul, St.
John of the Cross recorded his own experience of THE HANGED MAN, though
in Christian terms: “With his gentle hand he wounded my neck and caused all
my senses to be suspended [author’s italics]. . .1 remained lost in oblivion. My
face I inclined on the Beloved. All ceased and I abandoned myself, leaving my
cares forgotten among the lilies.” 158 This may be compared with another of
Jung’s statements: “There I am utterly one with the world, so much a part of it
that I forget all too easily who I really am. ‘Lost in oneself’ is a good way of
describing this state. . .the unconscious no sooner touches us than we are it— we
become unconscious of ourselves.” 159
Hindu mystics describe this state as Samadhi, referring to a condition
where the physical processes are literally suspended in trance, while the
consciousness affects a union with the Divine. This was a state with which
Crowley was obsessed. He wrote: “I was absolutely convinced of the supreme
importance of devoting my life to obtaining Samadhi.” 160 In fact, when he came
to believe that the so-called Secret Chiefs of the Order of the Golden Dawn had
chosen him to succeed Mathers, he wrote: “I made it a condition that I should
attain Samadhi; that is, that I should receive a degree of illumination, in default
of which it would be presumptuous of me to put myself forward.” 161
Crowley also makes it clear that Samadhi, which he defines with
unusual simplicity as “Union with the Lord,” is a general term for a number of
states, involving different degrees of trance. In his Confessions he describes a
devastating experience of the highest form of Samadhi, on the Path of THE
FOOL. 162
From the standpoint of Tarot what is important is that the Path of THE
HANGED MAN is only the first entry into a sequence of states of union. While
this experience may be one which we spend our lives seeking, it is only one step
along the Great Way. In this regard, Crowley again offers excellent instruction.
Writing of Alan Bennett’s increasing desire to become a Buddhist monk, he
says: “The phenomena of Dhyana and Samadhi had ceased to exercise their
first fascination. It seemed to him that they were insidious obstacles to true
spiritual progress; that their occurrence, in reality, broke up the control of the
mind which he was trying to establish and prevented him from reaching the
ultimate truth which he sought. He had the strength of mind to resist the appeal
of even these intense spiritual joys. Like physical love, they persuade their dupe
to put up with the essential evil of existence.” 163
The idea is that we must move constantly upward on the Tree of Life. It
is not until one has experienced the next higher Sephira that the qualities of the
lower Sephira are completely understood, and can be directed. Here we see that
the Path of Mem leads directly to Geburah, above Tiphareth. Geburah is the
active part of the Higher Self. It is the fiery energy on the Pillar of Water below
Binah. It is that on which the feet of THE HANGED MAN rest.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 189
The key symbol here is the Cross above the Triangle, which is also the
emblem of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, indicating that the
principles of THE HANGED MAN represent the essence of that Order’s
teaching. Moreover, this card represents a summation of the teaching of the
entire Tarot; the allegorical Book T, found in the hands of Christian
Rosencreutz when his tomb was opened, containing the most secret teachings
handed down through the ages.
It is not uncommon, as in the Waite card, for the figure to be hanged
from a Tau Cross. In fact, the symbolic relationship between Tau and Mem is
profound. Tau is at the very center of the Cube of Space, and is crossed by the
lines of THE FOOL (Aleph), JUDGMENT (Shin) and THE HANGED MAN
(Mem). But Mem final, the completely closed form of this letter used when it
occurs at the end of a word, is also attributed to this exact center point. The
symbolism says, in essence, that the completion of Mem is Tau. Both Mem and
Tau are suspended at the center of the Cube of Space.
The reversed figure on the card represents the suspension of personal
consciousness, where a greater reality imposes a complete reversal of perspec-
tive. This has been described as the “human spirit suspended by a single
thread.” Yet this is a willing suspension, a sacrifice which is a baptism, but
which is also a crucifixion. This, then, is a card of the Dying God.
One might well ask why this crucifixion should be on one side of the
Tree. The reason is that this is an essentially intellectual experience, as is
implied by the position of the legs of THE HANGED MAN. The cross above the
triangle is the four above the three, the imaginative qualities of THE EMPRESS
(3) subordinate to the rational qualities of THE EMPEROR (4). This is the
ultimate sacrifice of desire to a rational principle.
A balance to this experience is to be found in the WHEEL OF
FORTUNE, directly opposite THE HANGED MAN on the Tree of Life. THE
HANGED MAN is rest, the WHEEL OF FORTUNE is activity. Expressed in
another way, THE HANGED MAN is what happens when the Wheel stops
turning: the suspension or Crucifixion in Space is the willful arrest of the
WHEEL OF FORTUNE. On the other hand, the WHEEL OF FORTUNE is the
activation of that which is inactive on the Path of THE HANGED MAN. As is
written on the Emerald Tablet, this is multiplicity in unity, the activity and
passivity of the One Thing.
It has, hopefully, been demonstrated that the Path of THE HANGED
MAN must be approached very differently from the lower Paths. There is a
reversal of conceptual framework which is at once a willful suspension and a
refinement of observation. The meditator becomes the object of his own
meditation. He becomes the “other” which had been the object of pursuit; the
“other” becomes him.
One of the primary qualities of this Path is that it is a Path of eternally
unresolved possibilities. It is openness without beginning or end, the exact
opposite of the WHEEL OF FORTUNE, which encloses in eternal motion. When
the Mem is closed, it becomes Tau. Tau is Mem reversed. 12 (THE HANGED
190 The Qabalistic Tarot
MAN) is 21 (THE UNIVERSE) reversed. This is the Tarot secret of the Dying
God on the Path of Water.
This mythology of the Dying God is very universal; every culture seems
to have some form of it, whether that be Christ, Osiris or a local deity. THE
HANGED MAN is one rather peculiar aspect of this cross-cultural myth. In
Norse mythology the God Odin sacrifically hanged himself from the branches
of the World Tree. 164 In Greece, the Goddess Artemis was annually hanged in
effigy, and at her sacred grove in the Arcadian Hills was known as the “Hanged
One.” 165 Any number of such ritual hangings could be cited, none of which is a
final death. These are merely reversals where the feet of the God are planted in
the Anima Mundi and not on the earth.
The death and resurrection of any God relates to this Path, and is
described as a Kabiric Death. In the myth of the Kabiri, one brother is slain by
the three others. His dismembered body is discovered, and is, with great joy,
resurrected for the good of humanity. 166 The parallel with the Osiris legend is
clear. In that story the body parts of Osiris are scattered about the land,
collected and resurrected.
The death of the God is a natural, continuing, event, and is symbolized
by the ritual formula IAO, meaning Isis, Apophis, Osiris, symbolizing fruition,
death and then resurrection. This formula also relates to that of the Yod Heh
Vau.
As usual, Crowley’s version of the card is more complicated than that of
either Mathers or Waite. His figure, which emphasizes the Cross and Triangle,
is suspended from the Egyptian Ankh, a form of Tau. Behind it are the
Elemental Tablets, 167 summing up all of nature. His left foot hangs from a coiled
serpent which is the “creator and destroyer who operates all change.” The lower
serpent represents the effect of the work of God: “Through his Work a Child is
begotten, as shown by the Serpent stirring in the Darkness of the Abyss below
him.” 168
22. THE PATH OF LAMED
Justice
The Eleventh Key
□ PATH COLOR: Emerald Green
□ RELATED SOUND: F Sharp
□ SIGN: Libra (Cardinal Air)
□ MEANING: Ox Goad
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Work
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Daugh-
ter of the Lords of Truth; the
Ruler of the Balance.
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-second Path
is the Faithful Intelligence, and is so called because by it
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 191
spiritual virtues are increased, and all dwellers on earth are
nearly under its shadow.
The Path of Lamed, JUSTICE is between Tiphareth and Geburah.
Lamed means ox-goad, the spear-like prod which keeps the ox moving down the
road. This attribution points to the letter’s special relationship with Aleph (ox)
on the Path of THE FOOL. Their interaction is exceptionally complex, although
the essential principles can be simply stated: JUSTICE maintains the balance
of the Tree, so that the outpouring energy of THE FOOL (this has sometimes
been called the “ Holy Ghost”) will operate within the confines of a natural
pattern. JUSTICE is the administrator of the laws of Binah, written by THE
HIEROPHANT. It is the “Ruler of the Balance.”
It is called the Faithful Intelligence “because its spiritual values are
increased, and all dwellers on earth are nearly under its shadow.” This should
not be interpreted to mean the Intelligence of faith. Rather it is the Intelligence
which is faithful to that symbolized by THE FOOL. Without Lamed, Aleph
could not function as it does. Moreover, the entire Tree of Life is related to the
Twenty-Second Path, the number of which is the totality of all the Paths.
JUSTICE is not one solitary figure or force, it is an amalgam of all the Paths
which are self-focused. The alignment of forces has been described as being
within the essential life force symbolized by THE FOOL.
The activity of JUSTICE is at work continuously in the above and
below, in the Greater Universe and in the individual soul. Taken to the most
mundane, as we drive a vehicle down the road, JUSTICE is our correcting of the
wheel back and forth in either direction to keep the vehicle centered. Such a
purposeful equilibriating function occurs in our bodies, where nourishment
must be balanced and continual to keep them operating as proper repositories
for the Spirit. And an equilibriating function occurs in our personalities, where
no constant extreme of behavior can be tolerated if we are to operate effectively
in our environments. Justice works both through reason and through natural
force. We may decide to bring something of ourselves into balance, but if we do
192 The Qabalistic Tarot
not make that decision, it will be made for us. If we deprive our bodies of sleep,
we find ourselves forced to rest. We may simply collapse. The same process
occurs at all levels of Justice (i.e., through the Four Worlds). We may make a
conscious decision, or it may be made for us. In any event, this Intelligence is
“Faithful;” it guides and protects us.
Crowley’s title, Adjustment, is appropriate. This is a Path where
whatever is necessary is done to bring the organism into equilibrium, a process
which, as the symbol of the sword suggests, is not always pleasant. This is the
sword of Geburah which cuts away all that which is unnecessary, the ex-
traneous dead wood of nature. It is a severe experience, though no punish-
ment is implicit. There is no question of good, bad, right or wrong. As Gareth
Knight expresses it: “The point to remember in all this is that all the God-
Forms are aspects of the soul itself and not external agencies. Thus the pro-
cess may be considered psychologically as a condition of self-assessment .” 169
The soul weighs itself on the scales in the left hand and then makes necessary
adjustments wielding the sword in the right. One will observe that when the
Sephiroth are placed in the human body, Geburah is at the right hand and
Chesed at the left . 170
The sword of JUSTICE, the weapon of Elohim Gibor (God of Geburah) is
fearful. It can be swift and devastating in its cutting away of what is no longer
needed. It can make war; it can enforce peace. But the sword has two edges, one
of which destroys and the other of which consecrates as in the conferring of
knighthood. The cutting away of the negative aspects of body and soul is a
return to purity, a consecration. This idea of renewed purity is reinforced by
the attribution of Libra and the kidneys, which cleanse waste from the body
system. Another parallel, suggested by some writers, is that this Path relates to
Purgatory, a condition of consciousness after death where the soul is cleansed of
the dross of its earthly incarnation.
Pursuant to the idea of incarnation and reincarnation, this card is said
to represent Karma, a principle generally understood as the reaping by a
newborn soul of what it has sown in past lives. Paul Case, however, insisting
that the term has been often misunderstood, states that what Karma really
means is action. This is an action which is a continuous adjustment.
He also describes this key as related to education, insofar as Lamed
means to teach . 111 This is an especially interesting observation, not found
elsewhere. The conscious maintenance of balance is definitely a learning
process. We learn, often slowly and painfully, how to analyze and re-balance
ourselves as necessary for different situations. The more we learn of the inner
worlds, the more subtle and difficult this becomes. Perfect balance is a formula
so precise that the Egyptians symbolized its delicacy as the human soul
weighed against a feather.
These ancients had a concept of “right, truth, law and rectitude”
expressed by the single word maat. This originally meant “that which is
straight,” but came to mean also a rule, a measure of some kind, or a law . 172
Maat was symbolized by the feather, against which either the heart of the
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 193
deceased or his whole body was weighed. In illustrations, we find this weigh-
ing administered by Anubis, and the results recorded by Thoth. Crowley re-
lates both of these Gods to the Nineteenth Path, STRENGTH, which is the
balance between Geburah and Chesed. The implication is that the adjustment
which takes place on the Twenty-Second Path is administered and recorded
through the processes of the Nineteenth Path.
As a Goddess, Maat represented moral law and truth. She was, in
essence, the personification of the concept of maat. It is this Goddess who is
shown on the Crowley card, crowned with her attribute, the ostrich feather. The
weighing of souls is, of course, also implied in the Golden Dawn, Waite and
Marseilles versions, the latter two being medieval in tone.
In the Golden Dawn card the figure of a woman rests her feet on a jackal,
the animal attributed to Anubis who supervises the weighing of souls. She holds
scales which, as in the Crowley card, are black as a reference both to Binah and
to Saturn. This means not only assessment, but restriction, which is also time,
an important aspect of the administration of the law. By contrast, the Waite
version, as well as that produced by the BOTA, shows golden scales, meaning
that the individual soul is measured as it stands within the pure golden Light of
Tiphareth. It is only under this Light that the sword of Geburah does its work,
as is suggested by the Maat legend. Maat relates to the Sun God, Ra. She is, in
fact known as the “Daughter of Ra,” as she is Qabalistically named the
“Daughter of the Lords of Truth.” The Egyptians also called her “Queen of
Heaven.”
Most important is that Maat is the regulator of the Path of the Sun. The
Egyptian texts suggest that it is through Maat that the Sun subsists, for Ra is
said to “rest upon Maat,” and to “live by Maat .” 173 In our terms this means that
the principles of The Path of JUSTICE maintain Tiphareth. But insofar as Ra
is the source of all Light, he is also THE FOOL. Thus one can paraphrase, and
say that Aleph rests upon Lamed and that Lamed is the regulator of the Path of
the Divine Life Force.
The relationship between Aleph and Lamed conceals the greatest secret
of the Tarot, one which is, as Crowley said “beyond all planetary and zodiacal
considerations,” meaning Kether! In his Book of the Law, bR is the key to the
entire Universe, revealing a mystery of unspeakable profundity. On the Tree of
Life, is also the God Name of Chesed, the Demiurge (Lesser Creator) from
which Microprosopus is formed.
A great many planets are involved in this card. First is Venus, which
rules Libra, to which this Path is directly attributed. Mars is related because
this is an exercise of the purging energies of Geburah. The Sun is involved not
only because the Path runs from the Sun to Mars, but because Justice must take
place in the clear bright sunlight of Truth. Saturn has already been mentioned,
and is exalted in Libra. Finally there is Jupiter, Planet of Chesed, and of .
To state that Libra is ruled by Venus is also to state that behind
JUSTICE stands THE EMPRESS, the primary Path of Venus which is the
perfect balance between the energies of Chokmah and Binah. The reference is
also to the nature forces of Netzach.
194 The Qabalistic Tarot
Having noted that Lamed in some way refers to all of the Twenty-Two
Paths and Hebrew letters, it is interesting to recall that Venus refers to all of the
Sephiroth. Venus is the only planet whose symbol encompasses every single
Sephira on the Tree of Life (see Figure 14), the implication being that love is the
ultimate power of the Universe. Thus, to say that V enus rules Libra-Lamed is to
say: That which encompasses all of the Sephiroth rules that which encompasses
all of the Paths. This may be understood by again considering the idea that the
Sephiroth are objective, while the Paths are subjective. Objectivity and
subjectivity are complementary conditions. One cannot exist without the other,
any more than the color red can exist without the possibility of green, or the
energies of Mars can exist without those of Venus. Even the floor of the Golden
Dawn card, on which lies the jackal of Anubis, refers to a complementary
condition, that of Greater and Lesser Creators: The white (which actually
represents pure brilliance) is Kether, while purple is the color of Chesed in
Atziluth. All of the symbolism here points to the idea that this figure is keeping
opposites in balance. It is a regulator of energy.
Perhaps surprisingly, Waite emphasizes the Mars aspect of JUSTICE
over its Venus aspect by having the figure clothed primarily in red. And if his
card is considered on the pattern of the Tree of Life (when the card is placed on
the Path of Lamed) it will be seen that the raised sword points to Geburah while
the scales are lowered in the direction of Tiphareth. The same purple as in the
Golden Dawn tile floor appears on the cloth of honor behind the figure. The
background itself is yellow, meaning Tiphareth.
The differences in the colors of the three versions of JUSTICE point out
the differing concepts of the designers. The Golden Dawn emphasizes green,
flashing against a red throne with a pale blue background. Crowley’s card relies
on the blues and greens of the Twenty-Second Path in the Four Worlds. The
blues are especially vibrant as a reference to the effect of Jupiter on the Path.
Crowley’s Adjustment is among the most abstract of his Keys. He calls
the figure not only the Goddess Maat, but also Harlequin, “the partner and
fulfillment of THE FOOL.” The figure stands within a diamond-shape which is
the Vesica Piscis. Behind her is a throne of spheres and pyramids, in groups of
four, meaning “Law and limitation.” This is another reference to Chesed. As
Maat she wears ostrich feathers, with the Uraeus serpent, Lord of Life and
Death, on her forehead. She holds the Sword (a male symbol in this context) in
such a way as to suggest sexual union, and the “completion” of the female. This
is what is described in 777 as “The Woman justified. By equilibrium and Self-
sacrifice is the Gate.” 173 A scale, springing from a point above her head, weighs
all that is in creation, the Alpha and the Omega. She is total equilibrium, yet in
constant motion: “She is the ultimate illusion which is manifestation; she is the
dance, many-coloured, many-wiled, of Life itself. Constantly whirling, all
possibilities are enjoyed, under the phantom show of Space and Time; all things
are real, the soul is the surface, precisely because they are instantly compen-
sated by this Adjustment. All things are harmony and beauty; all things are
truth: because they cancel out.” 174
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 195
21. THE PATH OF CAPH
The Wheel of Fortune
The Tenth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Violet
□ RELATED SOUND: A Sharp
□ PLANET: Jupiter
□ MEANING: Fist
□ DOUBLE LETTER: Riches-
Poverty
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Lord of
the Forces of Life
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twenty-first Path is
the Intelligence of Conciliation, and is so called because it
receives the divine influence which flows into it from its
benediction upon all and each existence.
The Path of Caph, the WHEEL OF FORTUNE, runs from Chesed to
Netzach. It is the connecting Path between the Personality and the Higher Self
on the Pillar of Mercy under Chokmah. The Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom calls it
the Intelligence of Conciliation, implying that it has a mediating function. And,
in view of what has been considered about the regulation of energy on the Path
of JUSTICE, it is not surprising to learn that Jupiter is assigned to this Path, or
that Jupiter is said to govern the circulation of the blood.
Caph is a double letter, one of the “Gateways of the Soul.” To it are
attributed the opposites of riches and poverty which could be considered the
natural fluctuation of the Jupiter forces on this Path. Of course, the riches and
poverty are not of this earth, they are of the soul itself.
196 The Qabalistic Tarot
As a word Kaph means fist. It is the closed hand which symbolizes
grasping comprehension, as well as the completion of an activity or the closing
of a circle. It is closed, and yet it is in a state continuous motion, a cycle always
in many stages at the same time. In this regard Kaph is the scarf covering the
Dancer in the UNIVERSE card. Moreover it will be found that as Kaph is the
closed hand, the card preceding it, THE HERMIT (Yod) is an open one.
The wheel, so important to this Path, is a very ancient symbol of life
itself, the very turning of which, in some systems, is a prayer. It is the wheel of
birth, death and rebirth. It is the wheel of karma. But it is emphatically not a
wheel of chance or accidents. There are no accidents in the Universe, which is
one of the key lessons of this card. We are solely responsible for our own
destinies. Fortune provides us what we earn, which is not always pleasant.
The key to the WHEEL OF FORTUNE is duality and the interchange of
energies between opposites which make the wheel spin. The wheel is the activity
of all manifestation, as is symbolized in the Golden Dawn version by the twelve
spokes. These are the Signs of the Zodiac, each in its correct Atziluth-Path color.
The Crowley deck uses ten spokes to symbolize the totality of the Sephiroth,
while Waite uses a system of eight spokes based on twice four: the letters TAR
O and the nHT> . The pattern of Waite’s wheel is based on the Wheel of
Ezekiel illustrated by L4vi in his Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum, 115 and
described by the older occultist in very complex terms:
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 197
The Wheel of Ezekiel contains the solution of the problem of the
quadrature of the circle, and demonstrates the correspondences
between words and figures, letters and emblems; it exhibits the
tetragram of characters analogous to that of the elements and
elemental forms. It is a glyph of perpetual motion. The triple
ternary is shown; the central point is the first Unity; three circles
are added, each with four attributions, and the dodekad is thus
seen. The state of universal equilibrium is suggested by the
counterpoised emblems, and the pairs of symbols. The flying Eagle
balances the man; the roaring Lion counterpoises the laborious
Bull.
Kether, the Crown, Tiphareth, Beauty; and Yesod, Founda-
tion, form a central axis, while Wisdom, Chokmah, equilibrium
with Understanding, Binah; and the Severity of Justice, Geburah,
makes a counterpoise with the Mercy of Justice, Chesed. 176
Insofar as dualities in active manifestation are implied here, it might be
suggested that two wheels would better describe what is intended than one: i.e.,
one wheel interlocked in another like a gyroscope, each turning in different
directions. This really illustrates what is meant by the Intelligence of
Conciliation. It is the mediation of activity between rotating opposites.
Rotation, in this sense, means a sequence, something which begins and ends
and then begins again. This means periodicity, rhythms of activity as well as
cause and effect, what the Golden Dawn text calls the “counterchanging
influence of Light and Darkness.” Waite describes this activity as “the
perpetual motion of a fluidic universe. . . the flux of human life. The Sphinx is
the equilibrium therein.”
The Sphinx is the stable element in the midst of change. Thus in both
the Crowley and the Waite cards it sits at the very top of the Wheel. In the
Golden Dawn card, however, it is removed from the Wheel entirely. While
Crowley and Waite emphasize the Sphinx as a balancing phase of cyclic energy,
the Golden Dawn card emphasizes its role as the guardian of the gateway of the
mysteries, holding the secret of life and death.
This interpretation is a later (largely Greek) one, colored to some extent
by eighteenth century romanticism. In Egypt the Sphinx was originally a
portrait of the Pharoah, symbolizing his great power (the lion’s body) over
adversaries. This view is corroborated by numerous reliefs in which the Sphinx-
Pharoah is shown vanquishing his enemies.
The best known Sphinx is that presumed to be Cheops, who built the
Great Pyramid about 2500 B.C. When the Greeks saw this monumental
sculpture, more than 1500 years later, they took it to mean all that was
mysterious and magical, a sense reflected in the tale of Oedipus on the road to
Thebes. The Sphinx barred the road and asked each traveler the question:
“What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the
afternoon?” Those who failed to answer the question were destroyed. Oedipus,
however, knew that the answer was man, himself, who crawls in childhood,
198 The Qabalistic Tarot
walks on two legs in adulthood, and uses a cane in old age. The response of the
Sphinx to Oedipus’ correct answer was to throw itself into the sea, an action
replete with meaning for the student of the Qabalah.
The Greeks brought one important modification to the Sphinx image.
What was originally the portrait of a pharoah on a lion’s body became a woman
on the body of a male lion. Thus, the Sphinx came to represent not only man
with the raw power of the animal kingdom, but also a balance of male and
female in the same form. 177
The special importance of the Sphinx to the Golden Dawn is discussed in
the Order’s papers on the Enochian Mysteries:
Now learn a mystery of the Wisdom of Egypt. ‘When the Sphinx
and the Pyramid are united, thou hast the formulae of the Magic of
Nature.
‘These are the keys of the wisdom of all Time; and its beginning -
who knoweth it? In their keeping are the sacred mysteries and the
knowledge of Magic and all the Gods.’
In the ritual of the 32nd Path leading into the Theoricus Grade, it is
thus written. ‘The Sphinx of Egypt spake and said: I am the
synthesis of the Elemental Forces. I am also the symbol of Man. I
am Life. I am Death. I am the Child of the Night of Time. 178
Most original here is the concept that the Sphinx is the synthesis of the
Elemental Forces (recalling the Pentagram, symbol of man, which is the Spirit
above the four Elements. In fact, the documents state that there are four forms
of the Sphinx: Bull, Eagle, Man and Lion. 179
It is not entirely clear why Waite has shown these animal symbols
holding books, although we must assume this to be a reference to the Four
Gospels. The Lion, Eagle, Man, and Bull, found in the vision of Ezekiel, 180 and
possibly of Assyrian origin, were taken by Christianity to represent the Four
Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And when the Kerubiim are
shown holding books, it means the different aspects of Christ about which each
Evangelist wrote. 181 Here Waite may be extending an assertion by L6vi that the
Wheel is comparable to the Greek monogram of Christ. What is important, at
any event, is the amalgam of Four Elements on this Path. The Sphinx is the
Kerubiim all in one. Moreover, the Pyramid which, when united with the Sphinx
supposedly provides a magical formula, is four-sided and refers to Chesed.
The Sphinx is, thus, a cardinal symbol of manifestation. It is both that
through which one passes in birth or death, and that which contols the passage.
It is the directing aspect of the Higher Self in Tiphareth; it is protective, and a
Keeper of the Gates which keeps the Personality from absorbing more than its
system can handle. To be able to correctly answer the question of the Sphinx
(that answer being an extension of the Greek axiom: Man, know thyself!) means
that one is prepared to pass through the gates of inner consciousness. To pursue
the Oedipus legend: When the question was correctly answered, the Sphinx
threw itself into the sea. This means that, being no longer needed, the “gate”
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 199
now being open, the Gate Keeper was absorbed back into the Great Sea of
consciousness. More accurately, it was absorbed back into the Individual
Higher Consciousness which created it. On the other hand, the Sphinx “slays”
those who are unready to pass consciously beyond the restrictions of time and
space, concepts valid only in terms of matter. The destruction by the Sphinx of
those travelers who cannot answer its question, is the protection of the
Personality by the Higher Self. But it may also be considered the real death
process. Those who know the nature of the Sphinx may pass consciously from
one state to the next, while others fall into a deep sleep, a “destruction” of
awareness from which the soul gradually awakens into a new condition.
Beside the Wheel itself, the Sphinx is the only element common to the
three modem versions of the Key shown here. The Golden Dawn card has only
two figures, that of the Sphinx and the Cynocephalus. The Waite card shows the
Sphinx, Hermanubis and Typhon, as does Crowley’s version.
The figures in the Marseilles key represent a transitional period in the
Wheel of Life iconography. The Wheel, which seems to have originated during
the Romanesque period (llth-12th centuries), was a popular device for
representing man at the mercy of changing fortune. 182 In the earliest versions
human figures were shown on the Wheel, with one above that is ruling. Animal
figures were probably introduced toward the end of the fifteenth century to
underscore man’s animal nature and the mutability of life. Thus, the Marseilles
card shows very generalized figures of good and evil, with a ruler above who
balances these aspects on the Wheel. The imagery serves to remind us, by
comparison with the other cards, of the extent to which the symbolic
explanation of the Tarot has been embellished over the past two hundred years.
From the mid-nineteenth century on, each of the card’s figures has borne a very
specific mythological reference.
Beginning with the Golden Dawn card: What is called the Plutonian
Cynocephalus is a dog-faced ape sitting beneath the Wheel. This animal,
symbolizing time and eternity, is the traditional companion of Thoth (Hermes-
Mercury), and is the hieroglyphic symbol for writing. 183 Thoth is the inventor of
writing and the scribe of the Gods, who waits, especially, upon Osiris. It is he,
called the Lord of Holy Words, who records the results of the weighing of souls
on the Path of JUSTICE. Thoth is also said to have measured time, dividing it
into years, months and seasons. Thus time and eternity is attributed to his
companion, the Cynocephalus, which the ancients referred to the Moon, the
“planet” believed to follow Mercury.
The implication of the Golden Dawn illustration is that the Sphinx and
the Cynocephalus are two different ( above and below) aspects of the stable force
which monitors and regulates life’s seasons. The Sphinx is the quadripartite
Elemental Being guided by the Higher Consciousness (the human head). The
Cynocephalus (body of the faithful ape linked with the head of a form almost
human) means the “words” which we use. These words are the vibratory
patterns of existence which turn the Wheel. And, as the Gospel of St. John
begins: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.” 184 This passage has to do with the Lesser Divine Creator, the
200 The Qabalistic Tarot
Demiurge which we have identified as Chesed, origin of the Path of the WHEEL
OF FORTUNE. In general the card means that when the Higher Self brings the
Four Elements under control, the “words,” vibratory patterns, become our
faithful companion, and we are no longer bound to the wheel.
The Waite and Crowley cards, both more traditional than that of the
Golden Dawn, must be interpreted in terms of the interaction of Sphinx,
Hermanubis and Typhon. Hermanubis is a dual God, which Case mistakenly
called a combination of Hermes and Anubis, but actually combining Horus and
Anubis. He is Heru-em-Anpu, meaning Horus as Anubis. This God form, a later
Egyptian development, is described by Wallis Budge as possessed of “two
distinct and opposite aspects; as the guide of heaven and the leader of souls to
Osiris, he was a beneficent God, but as the personification of death and decay he
was a being who inspired terror .” 185
The myth of Typhon or Typhoeus is of Greek origin. Typhon was
involved in the wars of supremacy of the Gods. He was a monster so horrible
that even the Gods fled at the sight of him. But, as the legend goes, he was
eventually subdued by Zeus, who set him afire and buried him under Mt. Aetna.
So Typhon became known as the fire-breathing monster who personified
volcanoes and typhoons. He was also called the Father of the Sphinx.
As his mythology developed, Typhon was associated with the Egyptian
God, Set, brother and murderer of Osiris. Set was the symbolic dark side of
Osiris (recalling the Golden Dawn text stating that this card involves the
“counterchanging influence of Light and Darkness”). Typhon is also associated
with the Dragon Aphophis, who is the accuser in the Book of the Dead. Insofar
as Typhon is shown as a snake, as in the Waite card, he is one of the forms of
Set . 186 All of this is linked together by the idea that Anubis, who is also Horus, is
often represented (like St. George) slaying the Serpent.
Thus in Typhon and Hermanubis we have phases of energy which
supersede (“slay”) one another, three types of energy which underlie manifesta-
tion. These appear at the center of Waite’s Wheel as the symbols of Salt ©,
Sulphur A , and Mercury § . The fourth figure, the same as the sign
of Aquarius is the Alchemical symbol for dissolution.
In the Hindu system, what the West calls the “Three Alchemical
Principles,” are called Gunas. The Gunas are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva
is the philosophic Mercury, superconsciousness. Rajas is Sulphur, activity,
passion and desire. Gunas is Salt; it is ignorance and inertia, subconsciousness.
The idea that the WHEEL OF FORTUNE symbolizes the revolution of natural
phases is generally accepted, though there is some confusion about which of the
Gunas is applied to which figure. Crowley states that the Sphinx is Sulphur,
Hermanubis is Mercury and Typhon is Salt . 187
The Golden Dawn version, on the other hand, would allow the Sphinx to
be considered nothing less than the Superconsciousness, Sattva, the Philoso-
phic Mercury. And we see that in Waite’s card the Sphinx sits above the
Mercury sign on the Wheel.
In the Golden Dawn papers it is stated that Mercury is attributed to
Kether, Salt is attributed to Chokmah and Sulphur is attributed to Binah. The
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 201
“Three Principles of Nature” are also related to the three Maternal letters of the
Sepher Yetzirah.
20. THE PATH OF YOD
The Hermit
The Ninth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Green-yellowish
□ RELATED SOUND: F Natural
□ SIGN: Virgo (Mutable Earth)
□ MEANING: Hand
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Sexual Love
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Pro-
phet of the Eternal, the Magus
of the Voice of Power
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twentieth Path is the
Intelligence of Will, and is so called because it is the means of
preparation of all and each created being, and by this intel-
ligence the existence of the Primordial Wisdom becomes known.
The Path of Yod, connects Tiphareth (the Christ-Buddha center) and
Chesed (the Architect of Manifestaton). In brief, it represents the self-sustained,
primal beginnings of manifestation. It is the very point of origin of our manifest
Universe, in direct contact with the Divine Source of All. It is the Path from the
Demiurge out of darkness. It is the coming of the Light of manifestation
through Microprosopus.
Insofar as the sign Virgo is attributed to the twentieth Path, we
understand the Hermit to be ever-virgin, pure, and totally innocent. And insofar
as it represents a gateway to the bridge between Macroprosopus and Micro-
prosopus, it involves certain qualities of Daath.
202 The Qabalistic Tarot
These Daath qualities are represented by the very isolation of the figure:
There is something naturally mysterious and compelling about this figure
standing alone in the desert holding its own source of Light. One immediately
thinks of Diogenes in search of an honest man, or Moses (whose head
supposedly emanated rays of light) or Christ as the “Light of the World.” One
may also consider, in studying this solitary figure, that monasticism first began
in the Egyptian desert in the third and fourth centuries after the death of Christ.
Extreme asceticism and withdrawal from society were considered a means of
perfection. In fact, the very word hermit comes from a Greek word meaning
desert, the place where some of the earliest monks lived in walled-up rooms of
one window.
The higher the card on the Tree of Life, the more important it is that we
let the card suggest such images as they will. The image of a desert, for example,
is a very potent one. Conceptually, it is an expanse of earth as indefinably vast
as the ocean. And as we consider Binah in the image of deep, dark, endless
waters, we may envision the desert as a crystallization or precipitation out of
Binah’s vast sea of consciousness.
THE HERMIT is an expression of the same energy as THE FOOL. It is
at once the wise old age of the Child (of the Golden Dawn FOOL card) and the
virgin beginning of a new sequence. It is the purity and innocence of THE FOOL
as it is transformed in the projection of Microprosopus through Binah. The idea
that THE FOOL (child) is at the same time THE HERMIT (old man) may best
be understood by meditating on the snake which holds its tail in its mouth, the
traditional symbol of wisdom.
It has been stated that JUSTICE, the Path opposite THE HERMIT,
administers the energies in manifestation of THE FOOL. Thus, we appreciate
that JUSTICE and THE HERMIT must also work together in some basic way.
One clue to this mystery is, again, in the bn , JUSTICE + THE FOOL, which
is also the God Name of Chesed, point of origin of the Path of THE HERMIT.
Most important is that THE HERMIT represents communication
between the Higher Self of Tiphareth (the Ruach) and the Spiritual Self of
Kether (the Yechidah). For this reason the Golden Dawn text calls THE
HERMIT the first of three great initiatory cards, the others being STRENGTH
and THE CHARIOT. In this regard it should be pointed out that the experiences
of all these Paths may be gained on the Path of THE HIGH PRIESTESS. That
Path not only encompasses all Paths above Tiphareth, but crosses the Abyss
with its devastating experience of Divine reconciliation through isolation.
However THE HERMIT may be described, it is pre-eminently one of
union. It represents the first point of awareness by the Higher Self of the
Supreme Spiritual Self, explicable only in the most erotic of imagery. This idea
is supported by the Sepher Yetzirah, which attributes sexual love to the simple
letter Yod. But this is not the sexuality of coition, for the card is the essence of
isolation and singularity. The “sexuality” is self-contained and self-sustaining,
a quality cryptically described in the Golden Dawn documents as “Prudence.”
Yod is related to Kether not only insofar as it is isolated and self-
contained, but also in that it forms the graphic root for all of the other letters of
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 203
the Hebrew alphabet. Moreover, the Yod is phallic. It is the Male-Fire which
rushes out toward the Female-Water. In the Golden Dawn version this is
symbolized by the sign on the front of the Hermit’s hood. The Yod within a fire
triangle means that the Yod is the very essence of spiritual fire within
Microprosopus. It is, thus, an aspect of the Chokmah Force. It is the All-Father
in manifestation below the Abyss, which is related to the Logos.
The concept of Logos, while not at all difficult, is often misunderstood.
Logos is a Greek term usually considered to mean word, which came to
represent a principle of both Greek and Hebrew metaphysics. In the simplest
possible terms: The Logos is a link, an intermediary between God and Man. The
same is true for any sacrificed God, including Christ, Osiris, or Buddha.
On the Tree of Life Tiphareth is the objective Logos, the objective center
of energy produced by the Demiurge (Chesed) as a direct link of the Lower with
the Higher. But, in terms of the Paths, which are subjective, the link is on the
Path of the Hermit. This is to say that while objectively Tiphareth is the Logos
center; subjectively, in order to understand this transitional energy, we must
rise above Tiphareth toward Chesed, on the Path of THE HERMIT.
Qabalistic attitudes toward what is called the Logos relate largely to
Philo, a Jewish philosopher living at the time of Christ. He was a synthesizer of
Greek and Hebrew thought. To the Hebrews the “word” (vibration) was Power.
To the Greeks, the Logos was “spermatic,” meaning that it was the source of
All. Heraclitis described it as a Divine Fire which stimulated and maintained
order. The Stoics saw the Logos as an all-pervading force in the world. Later the
neoplatonic doctrine of the Logos in emanations influenced the writer of the
Sepher Yetzirah.
What Philo did, no mean trick, was to combine the Jewish concept of
Word, with the Platonic concept (related especially to the Timaeus) of
manifestation evolving from a point of transition between the Godhead and
Man. THE HERMIT may be considered a “Word” (Vibration) uttered into a vast
space. The Word is that which continually stimulates the development of
manifestation, which energizes the principles of form which it has produced.
While the Hermit is often considered a Christ figure, he is better related
to Moses who led his people across the same Egyptian desert in which
monasticism developed centuries later. Moses was first related to the Logos by
an early Gnostic sect taking its name from the Simon Magus described in the
Acts of the Apostles. These “Simonian Gnostics” of about the second century
A.D. believed that the Book of Exodus was an allegory of the soul being led by
the Logos (Moses) through the desert of life into the spiritual promised land . 188
In other terms, Moses is the Thaumaturge, the arch-magician. His staff
is a wand of enormous power which strikes water from rock, and turns into a
serpent at his bidding. This latter act refers to the use of the Kundalini (Yod)
force by the Adept-Magician. That force is the Sacred Fire which is the essence
of the Logos transmitted by the phallic wand.
One other correspondence between Moses and the Logos is found in the
interaction between the prophet and God as the burning bush. The word of God
is not issued directly, but comes through Moses as intermediary, the function of
204 The Qabalistic Tarot
the Logos. More than this, Moses may be considered a tool of the Supreme Father,
carrying out His Will. In this regard, the hand, man’s ultimate creative tool, is
attributed to Yod. THE HERMIT is the very hand of God.
The hand of THE HERMIT is open as opposed to that of the WHEEL OF
FORTUNE. The open hand is a sign of ultimate power, found especially in
Byzantine representations of the Pantocrator, Christ as the Ruler of the
Universe. But the open hand is also a sign of innocence; it may give and take
freely without the impediments of thought or moral restrictions. The open hand
represents THE HERMIT as Prophet, the completed adept.
Insofar as THE HERMIT is the Adept-Magician, he is the agent of the
Supreme Will and, as such, the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom calls the Twentieth
Path the Intelligence of Will. There is a strong link between THE HERMIT and
the Path of THE MAGICIAN (the Intelligence of Transparency) since Virgo is
ruled by Mercury. This means that the Philosophic Mercury ultimately directs
the course of the Yod-Fire on the Paths.
The fact that Virgo is an earth sign may be somewhat confusing in that
any discussion of THE HERMIT invariably centers on the idea of Fire.
Hopefully it has been understood that the Fire in question here is not the same
as either Elemental Fire or Maternal Fire. THE HERMIT could be called the
“First Earth” within which a Sacred Fire operates. The Yod force, again,
ennervates to keep the world in order, a stimulus which could be described as a
fertilization. The concept is an extremely difficult one which has to do with
multi-faceted potentiality. Approached from another direction, it could be said
that the most ordered existence is Earth, here represented as wholly barren, but
with the potential for all life. In the Golden Dawn card, the importance of Binah
in this process is suggested by the red band around the Hermit’s waist. The
Venusian green of earth is bound up by the Atziluth-red Binah cord.
The Golden Dawn emphasizes the earthy, monastic qualities of the
figure. And while it may be stretching the symbolism to make the suggeston, the
dual robes recall the titles of Binah and Chokmah: The Outer Robe of
Concealment (Binah) and The Inner Robe of Concealment (Chokmah). The staff
is, of course, referred to Chokmah. It is held here in such a way as to suggest
that it is to be planted, and will grow leaves and flowers.
Of the four versions, only Crowley’s suggests the motion and activity
which is essential to the Yod. And, as usual, his card requires more explanation
than the others. He emphasizes, for example, the idea that THE HERMIT is
rooted in Binah, by cloaking him entirely in red.
Before the red figure is the Orphic Egg with a serpent wrapped around it.
In the ancient Orphic Mysteries this signified the Cosmos encircled by the Fiery
Spirit, which is Yod. Behind the figure is Cerberus, the three-headed dog who
guards the gates of Hell, and who has been tamed by the Hermit. The
spermatazoon is symbolic of the Yod energies in the material world, while the
staff which transmits the sexual force, is completely hidden. As Crowley states:
“In this Trump is shewn the entire mystery of Life in its most secret workings.
Yod=Phallus=Spermatazoon=Hand= : Logos=Virgin .” 189
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 205
Yod has been called The Crown, meaning that it is the highest point of
the Logos, the primary energy from which manifestation derives. And, of
course, any reference to Crown points to Kether, the Crown above All.
The last symbol to be considered is the Lamp which, in all versions
refers to Tiphareth, and makes a statement about the very nature of Light. In
the Golden Dawn rituals this principle was expressed in three languages: Khabs
am Pekht (Coptic); Konx om Pax (Greek); Light in Extension. This means that
Light is the principle of manifestation, that on which all of Creation is built. So
the Hermit may be said to represent a glyph on the nature of primal
manifestation beneath the Abyss, and of the relationship between Light and the
Sacred Fire symbolized by Yod.
One would expect that the placement of the letters Yod, Heh and Vau on
the Tree of Life would have profound meaning. Thus it is particularly intriguing
to realize that these letters work together as a trinity from Chesed to Tiphareth
to Chokmah, and back to Chesed. Yod is THE HERMIT, Heh is THE
EMPEROR and Vau is THE HIEROPHANT, all functioning to the side of the
Pillar of Mercy on the Tree of Life. The intention here is not to offer an
explanation, but to suggest a very valuable subject for meditation.
19. THE PATH OF TETH
Strength
The Eighth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Yellow-Green-
ish
□ RELATED SOUND: E Natural
□ SIGN: Leo (Fixed Fire)
□ MEANING: Snake
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Taste
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Daugh-
ter of the Flaming Sword
206 The Qabalistic Tarot
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Nineteenth Path is
the Intelligence of all the activities and spiritual beings, and is so
called because of the affluence diffused by it from, the most high
blessing and most exalted sublime glory.
In our upward progress on the Tree of Life the Path of STRENGTH leads
to the edge of the Abyss, as did THE HERMIT. And as we come closer and closer
to the source of All, the Ultimate Simplicity, it is perhaps paradoxical that the
symbolism becomes increasingly complex. In the lower cards, energies and
experiences can be accurately described in words. But at this level on the Tree,
and above we learn primarily by meditation on the inter-relationship of
symbols, in which great profundities are secretly imbedded. Few, for example,
might even suspect that this picture of a woman with a lion could have such
vast meaning.
In terms of evolution, the nineteenth Path is the first Path of Micro-
prosopus, the Lesser Countenance. It is the outpouring of energy from Chesed
to Geburah in the process of manifestation; it is the primary Path of the Higher
Self, linking the great opposites below the Abyss. It is the Path on which
Fire becomes Light, for manifestation is Light, whereas the Supernals are a
darkness which is fiery. Thus, in his Book of Tokens Case speaks of “the radiant
Darkness of the Limitless Light .” 190
To the Path of STRENGTH are assigned both the Hebrew letter Teth
and the most powerful sign of the Zodiac, Leo. Leo is the lion, while Teth means
snake, and the interchangeability of the lion and snake symbolism is an
important key to the meaning of the card. As the symbols interchange, we
understand that the realities which they represent can also be interchanged.
The One Spirit takes any form It wills, which is an important lesson of this
Path. The idea is clearly expressed in the Zohar: “The three principle elements
of nature are fire, air and water. Really they are one in use and substance, and
are able to change the one into the other. It is the same with Thought and
Speech and Logos, they are one and the same in themselves .” 191
As the Serpent holds its tail in its mouth it represents wisdom and the
Universe (noting here that taste is attributed to Teth in the Sepher Yetzirah),
whereas the same Serpent is described in Genesis as the Tempter. Moreover,
insofar as it is the fiery, vital Life Force, it is also the Redeemer. This is the
same, apparently contradictory idea encountered with the primary card of
matter, THE DEVIL, which is also both Tempter and Redeemer. And,
interestingly enough, the lion is occasionally related to Saturn, the supposed
“place of Dwelling” of the Devil. Fortunately, the Qabalah allows us to put these
symbols into very clear perspective, as Binah-Satum is the ultimate source of
the Devil’s imprisoning matter.
It must be admitted that the lion has been used in so many different
cultures and symbolic pantheons, that it may be claimed to have mutually
exclusive meanings. But, generally, references to the lion have to do with its
physical strength (This is not a card of intellect in any way). The greatest
strength of which man can conceive is the Light of the Sun, the ruler of Leo.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 207
And, as we shall consider, it is the lion which is permitted to open the Sacred
Scroll of the Apocalypse. This means that the Solar Power, represented by this
card, can open the higher levels of consciousness beyond the Sun (Tipahreth)
itself. In symbolism, this is shown most graphically by representations of the
Sun God Mithra, whose body is human, but whose head is that of a lion.
The lion symbolism always implies a brute force which may be used
constructively or destructively. This is the very Path on which the Sword of
Geburah is formed, indicating that the possibility of the philosopher being
overwhelmed by the power which he invokes is always present. Such danger is
stressed, for example, in the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, one closely
related to the symbolism of this card. Daniel is, like Moses, a Magician
(Thaumaturge) holding back the destructive power of the lions through sheer
force of will.
Daniel, the three Hebrews in the fiery furance, Noah, and other such
figures were chosen by the earliest Christians as Biblical representatives of
salvation. On the wall of a catacomb, a depiction of Daniel means, in essence:
“let him who is buried here be saved as Daniel was saved from the lions.” Thus,
a simplistic faith in divine protection came to overshadow a symbolism of far
greater consequence, that of the enlightened individual controlling the “animal
potency” underlying all existence.
In the symbolism of Alchemy, the lion takes three separate forms. First,
there is the Green Lion, the energy of nature before it is purified and subjected to
the will. Next is the Red Lion, represented on the card of STRENGTH. This is
the force of nature under perfect control, what the Alchemists would describe as
the Sulphur (Solar Energy) combined with Mercury (Will). Waite underscores
this meaning by showing the infinity sign of THE MAGICIAN above the
woman’s head; this is the directing willpower of the twelfth Path, what Mathers
calls the Philosophic Mercury. Finally, there is the Old Lion, meaning the
completely purified consciousness, the linking of all components of the Soul
with the Highest Spiritual Self which is “older than time itself.”
The lion figures in ancient legends and in Christian legends, such as the
story of Saint Jerome, where the saint removes a thorn from the lion’s paw and
the grateful animal becomes his servant . 192 The consistent thread running
through such tales has to do with the wise person who subjugates the wild
animal through the force of his humanity. It is the highest quality of man
controlling the highest quality of beast (of which the lion is “King”), an idea
sufficiently common in history that it may be considered an extension of Jung’s
Wise Old Man archetype. In this regard, we appreciate that each and every one
of the Tarot trumps represents a body of teaching, legend, or tradition, deeply
rooted in the group soul of mankind and expressed in different ways throughout
history.
Pursuant to the relationship of the symbolic lion with the Sun, there is
some possibility of confusion. At one level the lion is the Kerub of Fire, symbol
of one of the Four Elements. But this is not the same as the lion of the Sun’s
Spiritual Fire, or Kundalini, which is also the Serpent.
The fiery lion-serpent is one aspect of the Life Force which, in
manifestation, is a duality of activity and passivity. Kundalini, the Sacred Fire,
208 The Qabalistic Tarot
is the active phase of this energy, purposely unleashed and directed by the will.
This is suggested by the double ends of the rods in the hands of the figure in
THE UNIVERSE, a card related to STRENGTH in several ways.
It will, for example, be noted that the scarf on the figure in the Golden
Dawn card is similar to that worn by the figure in THE UNIVERSE. Both are
veils. Both are concealing of principles, though at different ends of manifesta-
tion. STRENGTH is the beginning of Microprosopus, while THE UNIVERSE is
the completion of the process. The woman who has tamed the energy of the lion,
and the woman who dances in space surrounded by the Four Kerubiim, are both
expressions of that which is, at the highest level, called THE EMPRESS.
This is a very powerful Path, one on which it is not possible for a
sensitive person to meditate without profound effects on the psyche. The card
may come to be appreciated as a statement of methodology, whereby the
willpower controls the vital life energy. The Book of Tokens suggests that the
secret of this methodology lies in number, although as used in that text the word
means the germ of separation into what can be counted as divided from the One:
“Number veileth the power of the Elohim, for Number is that thick darkness
whereof it is written, ‘And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness Where God
was;’ and again, ‘Tetragrammaton said that he would dwell in the thick
darkness.’ ” And, it continues: “Of that darkness the Serpent is a sign, the Great
Serpent, the royal snake of Egypt. This is the Serpent of temptation, Yet from it
cometh redemption. For the Serpent is the first appearance of the Anointed
One.” 193
STRENGTH represents a very important initiatory formula dealing
with the Serpent Power. It is this power which is used to stimulate the various
chakras, or centers of energy in the body. The principles imbedded in number
(as defined above) teach us how to use this power, which is not to suggest that
the process is cold and distant. On the contrary, Crowley’s title. Lust, is quite
appropriate. What is involved is the development of a “divine frenzy,” as is
meant by the frequently-repeated instruction: “Inflame Thyself with Prayer!”
Or, as the Alchemists express it, “The heat of the furnace makes the Stone.” The
heat is a great passion within the confines of an exercise such as that of the
Middle Pillar. 194
The method is a recurring theme in the correspondence courses of Paul
Case. In one lesson, he says of inner exercises: “By prolonged practice. . .
pursued something for months and years without apparent result, those who
follow the Way of Liberation effect changes in their subconsciousness. These
changes are symbolized by Key 8 and produce at the same time the result shown
in Key 16.” 195 Repeatedly he states that the whole point of meditational
exercises is an actual and subtle change in the structure of the body cells. And
those who are familiar with Dion Fortune’s definition of the Qabalah as the
“Yoga of the West,” will appreciate that Case said directly things at which she
was only willing to hint.
When we have the important keys all mystical literature suddenly opens
up and seems genuinely simple. Such is the case with the Book of Revelation
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 209
(The Apocalpyse), which utterly confounds most biblical scholars, and is the
source of some extraordinary scholarly nonsense. Revelation, like the Book of
Genesis, is one of the great Qabalistic documents. Thus, one should not be
surprised to find that STRENGTH (or Crowley’s Lust) relates directly to that
work by St. John.
In Revelation it is stated that the Lion, representative of the Tribe of
Judah (the descendants of David), had “won the right to open the scroll and
break its seven seals.” 196 But as the seals are to be broken we discover that the
Lamb has taken the place of the Lion. The Lion has, in fact, become the Lamb of
“Seven Eyes. ” These are the seven Chakras which are activated by the Lion-
Serpent Power. This is the taming of the Lion by the woman in STRENGTH. In
Qabalistic terms this means that to bring the energies symbolized by the Lion
under perfect control, is to open the seals on the Book of Reality above the
Abyss. The symbolism refers to the method by which one may know that from
which manifestation emerges, the Supernal Triangle of the Tree of Life. It
should be noted here that the Path of Teth is the highest on the Tree with no
direct connections into the Supemals. It is, thus, an important Path of
transition. It is, like THE HERMIT, a gateway to Daath.
In the Golden Dawn version of both cards, Daath is suggested by the
desert. As we cross the desert, going upwards, we are led out of bondage by the
Logos itself (Moses as the Light). Even Crowley’s card may be interpreted in
this way, though he has placed his card on the eleventh Path, traditionally
given to JUSTICE. His symbolism is perfectly consistent with the meaning of
the Golden Dawn or Waite cards, relative to Daath, of which he commented in
the Equinox: “In Daath is said to be the Head of the Great Serpent Nechesh or
Leviathon, called evil to conceal its Holiness.” 197 This reasoning is interesting
in terms of Lust, where he represented the Seven-headed beast of the
Apocalypse, with which he personally identified. One may suggest that Crowley
related himself to the Beast under the same philosophical twist as he described
for the Serpent, i.e., an evil which is only apparent, and actually concealing of
the greatest good. One can argue theologically that God creates only good, and
that what appears to be the greatest evil must actually conceal good.
At any event, some may find it very uncomfortable, even pathological,
that Crowley has so woven the trappings of his own personality into the cards,
although it requires some study to understand the extent to which this is the
case. Others may find his choice of imagery curious, wondering that he should
illustrate a card of such spiritual potency as STRENGTH with the Scarlet
Woman of the Apocalypse, riding the Beast. Crowley made the connection
through Gematria on the number 666, to which he related his own name, The
Sun, what he called the “Stele of Revealing,” and the Beast of Revelation.
Although the image is somewhat shocking in this context, Crowley has
used the Whore of Babylon to represent the epitome of virginity, that which is
symbolized in the Golden Dawn card by the four flowers (Chesed) and by the
wreath in Waite’s card. The principle is, again, that of the greatest evil
concealing the greatest good.
210 The Qabalistic Tarot
The woman is of the same innocence as The Hermit. She is virgo intacto
and it is only as such that she can, with complete safety, deal with the Lion. She
might also be considered one of the Vestal Virgins keeping the Sacred Fire.
18 . THE PATH OF CHETH
The Chariot
The Seventh Key
□ PATH COLOR: Red-Orange
□ RELATED SOUND: C Sharp
□ SIGN: Cancer (Cardinal Water)
□ MEANING: Fence, Enclosure
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Speech
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Child
of the Powers of the Waters; the
Lord of The Triumph of Light
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Eighteenth Path is
called the House of Influence (by the greatness of whose
abundance the influx of good things upon created beings is
increased), and from the midst of the investigation the arcana
and hidden senses are drawn forth, which dwell in its shade and
which cling to it, from the cause of all causes.
The Path of THE CHARIOT runs between Geburah (Strength) and
Binah, the Great Mother on the Tree of Life. It is the highest and, thus, the most
profound Path on the Pillar of Severity. It is also the third initiation in the series
of HERMIT, STRENGTH and CHARIOT, meaning that it is an introductory
experience to the Supreme Spiritual Self. It is an initiation across the Abyss,
appreciating that once one crosses the Abyss, all of its crossing Paths are
understood. The four Paths beside THE HIGH PRIESTESS are in toto, the
experience of the “Garden of Eden,” as will be understood by considering the
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 211
Element attached to each Path: THE CHARIOT is Watery (Cancer), THE
LOVERS is Airy (Gemini), THE EMPEROR is Fiery (Aries) and THE
HIEROPHANT is Earthy (Taurus). These are also the Four Rivers of Paradise,
which flow together into Tiphareth from the Path of THE HIGH PRIESTESS.
THE CHARIOT represents a completion which Waite called a “conquest
on all planes,” 198 meaning that THE CHARIOT carries the influence of the
Higher to all of the lower Planes. The Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom describes
this as the “House of Influence (by the greatness of whose abundance the influx
of good things upon created things is increased). . .” Here the ancient text
implies that through this Path one may discover the secrets of the hidden senses
“which dwell in its shade,” meaning the Supreme Darkness above the Abyss.
This card also represents the vision of Ezekiel, 199 wherein the prophet
described the appearance of “four living creatures.” Each had four faces, that of
a Man, a Lion, an Ox and an Eagle. Beside each of the creatures was a wheel,
“like a wheel within a wheel,” and as the creatures moved, so the wheels moved.
Above the heads of these apparitions was “a vault glittering like a sheet of ice.”
Above the vault was a throne, and on the throne was a radiant figure. The
implication is that the creatures (Elemental energies of the manifest Universe)
are The Chariot.
Students of Jewish mysticism may be naturally curious about the roots
of this card, since it is suggestive of one of the most important trends in early
Jewish thought, that of the Merkahah. The Merkabah is the Chariot which
carries the Throne. 200
Of this trend, Gershom Scholem says: “The earliest Jewish mysticism is
throne-mysticism. Its essence is not absorbed contemplation of God’s true
nature, but perception of his appearance on the throne as described by
Ezekiel.” 201 He further states that while in the earliest days, writers spoke of the
“ascent to the Merkabah,” the later writers discussed enlightenment as the
“descent to the Mercabah,” 202 presumably meaning a journey into the depths of
Self. One way or the other, there is the implication that the Chariot is
stationary, as it is shown in the Waite, Crowley and Marseilles cards, an
imagery supported by Case, who says that the number of the card, seven, is
traditionally related to rest. This is a mystery, for while the Chariot moves
continuously through the planes, it is at rest.
Of course, the fact that this card is a clear reference to Ezekiel does not
mean that it is indisputably related to Merkabah thought. Ezekiel was a very
popular figure in the west during the apparent period of the invention of Tarot,
as the art attests. Yet if we are to suppose that the originators of the Tarot had
even the slightest knowledge of Qabalah and Jewish metaphysics, we must
assume that they were familiar with its oldest expression, Merkabah, and would
not have used an image of a chariot casually. The intention here is not to
attempt to answer this question, only to acknowledge that it exists and that it is
one which may cut to the very core in defining what is modem and what is
ancient in the system of Tarot.
Eliphas L6vi, who is something of a bridge between ancient and modem
esotericism, made an interesting contribution in his design for THE CHARIOT
212 The Qabalistic Tarot
card. This was never a part of a L6vi deck, although Oswald Wirth incorporated
most of Levi’s ideas into his Tarot of 1889.
In the Ritual of Transcendental Magic, L6vi wrote of THE CHARIOT:
A CUBIC CHARIOT, with four pillars and an azure and starry
drapery. In this chariot, between the four pillars, a victor crowned
with a circle adorned with three radiant golden pentagrams. Upon
his breast are three superimposed squares, on his shoulders the
URIN and THUMMIM of the sovereign sacrificer, represented by
two crescents of the moon in Gedulah [Chesed] and Geburah; in his
hand is a sceptre surmounted by a globe, square and triangle: his
attitude is proud and tranquil. A double sphinx or two sphinxes
joined at the haunches are hamassed to the chariot; they are
pulling in opposite directions, but are looking the same way. They
are respectively black and white. On the square which forms the
fore part of the chariot is the indian lingham surrounded by the
flying sphere of the Egyptians. 203
Waite followed L6vi closely, his only iconographic contribution being
the addition of a river behind the chariot (reference to the Waters flowing from
THE HIGH PRIESTESS and to the water sign, Cancer). He has also added a
city which we may interpret to mean the “Heavenly Jerusalem,” or the “City of
God” above the Abyss. Thus THE CHARIOT is shown as intermediary. It is
both the above and the below ; it is perfect control on more than one plane of
existence, while at the same time it protects the sanctity of the “Throne” by
maintaining the necessary separation of those planes which it affects.
The relationship of Chariot to Throne is amplified by our knowledge
that the angels of Binah are called ( Aralim ), Thrones, while those
of Chokmah are called Q’331N ( Auphanim ), Wheels. This is consistent
with the idea of Binah as representative of all three Supemals, Binah,
Chokmah and Kether. This is important insofar as the Throne is actually
Kether (it is not of Kether, it is Kether).
There is no way in which these relationships can become comprehen-
sible except through meditation, and the student should not feel discouraged if
the words seem difficult. The really important point here is the relationship of
the Divine Spirit to that which in some way contains It. The meaning of the
Hebrew letter Cheth, attributed to the eighteenth Path, is fence or enclosure.
The Chariot is a wheeled enclosure which holds the Spirit in its “movement”
through all Planes. Two principles can be derived here: 1) First is the very idea
that an enclosure is necessary, something external to the Self which carries that
Self through various levels of the manifest Universe. 2) The idea that the vehicle
serves a protective function, as the Book of Tokens says of Cheth:
I am the hedge of protection
Enclosing the field of existence.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 213
In this field thou dwellest.
And I am thy defense
Against the darkness which is without.
Yet is this hedge of safety
Also a wall of limitation,
And the darkness against which it defendeth thee
is the radiant Darkness of the Limitless Light,
too brilliant for thine eyes. 204
In interpreting this passage, Case refers to the Ain Soph “which is to us
a darkness, because it transcends our earthly vision.” He also relates this to the
idea that “Osiris is a black God,” 205 meaning that Osiris (a sacrificed God) was
resurrected and then arose above the Light to a Darkness which is at the very
pinnacle of the Supreme Spiritual Self in Kether. This experience of the
Spiritual Self, pictured in THE CHARIOT, has also been described as the
“Exaltation” of Alchemy, where the Alchemist becomes the Philosopher’s
stone.
Of the four versions of the card, Crowley’s most strongly emphasizes the
relationship of THE CHARIOT to the text of Ezekiel, with its “living creatures.”
His card expands on the dual Sphinxes proposed by L6vi, whereas the Golden
Dawn follows the earlier design of the Marseilles deck in which the Chariot is
drawn by two horses.
Crowley states that he was much influenced by Levi’s card design, and
since he also claimed to be Levi’s reincarnation, he may have wanted to
emphasize the development of “his” earlier work. He has, thus, taken Levi’s
dual Sphinxes and turned them into the Four Kerubiim, each of which has four
sub-elements, as in the Tattvas. This is consistent with the biblical text which
describes each of the Four Creatures as having four faces. Moreover, we have
previously made the connection of the Sphinx with the Pentagram, which
represents the Four Elements crowned by Spirit. The Pentagram, which
represents the Four Elements crowned by Spirit. The Pentagram, as a five-
pointed figure, is appropriate to Geburah, the lower end of this Path. Geburah is
also symbolized in Crowley’s card by the red wheels, meaning that its energy is
the motive power of the Chariot.The complement of Gebruah, Chesed, is implicit
here in the various uses of the Four. Chesed- Jupiter is important on this Path
because it is the beginning of manifestation, in Microprospus, of the Four
Elements which are the symbolic “support” for the heavens. In the cards of both
Crowley and Waite, the Binah -canopy is supported by four pillars which are the
Elements, and which are the mrp . These are also the four columns of the
Tree of Life in a Solid Sphere (Plate II).
Above the golden armored figure in Crowley’s card is a crab, symbol of
the sign Cancer. Almost imperceptibly woven into the canopy, in a fine gold
line, is the word “ABRACADABRA,” an apparent pun on “ABRAHADABRA,”
a word which Crowley called “one of the most important Key numbers of the
Liber Al . . . the word of the Aeon. . . the cypher of the Great Work.” The value of
214 The Qabalistic Tarot
this word corresponds to that of Cheth (IT> n) ; n =8, i =10, n =400, adding to
418.206
One significant idea found in the Crowley and Golden Dawn cards is the
implication of something martial, not unlike the Bhagavad Gita, where the
pursuit of enlightenment is symbolized by warring factions which we under-
stand to be within the seeker himself. Here, on the highest Path of the Pillar of
Severity, the soul warrior of Geburah has reached a pinnacle. Crowley shows
him with ten stars on his armor (representing Assiah-Matter) and seated in a
position of sublime meditation. In his hands he holds the Holy Graal, a cup into
which we look directly.
For their card, the Golden Dawn chose to represent Odin, God of war,
usually shown riding through the sky. The attribute of Odin is appropriate
insofar as he was also a god of spiritual development who, like THE CHARIOT,
has been related to both the above and the below. 207
The primary emphasis of the Golden Dawn card is on the control of the
dualities in manifestation by the Supreme Spiritual Self. Here the black and
white horses are commensurate with L6vi’s black and white Sphinxes, as well
as with the black and white columns of the mysteries called Joachim and Boaz
in the “Temple of Solomon.” Between the two horses is an Eagle’s head, the
Kerubic symbol for Water. The Chariot itself is blue to suggest Chesed. The
orange of the warrior’s robe refers to Hod, the intellect. Thus, we are pointed
toward THE MAGICIAN, the Path to which Mercury is attributed. Waite also
referred to Hod by using an eight-pointed star on the crown of the Charioteer,
personification of the Spiritual Self.
As was mentioned, the movement of THE CHARIOT conceals a mystery
of great significance. In the Golden Dawn card it clearly descends from the sky,
symbolizing the descent of the Holy Spirit into manifest creation (“the influx of
good things upon created beings”). This is a much more simple iconography
that is found in the cards of Crowley or Waite, and is reminiscent of the Chariot
of the Sun. In Greek Mythology the Chariot of Helios, the Sun, moved daily
across the sky pulled by four horses. The relationship of the Sun to THE
CHARIOT card is of critical importance because the Chariot moves between the
Light, centered in Tiphareth and the Supreme Darkness at the hidden side of
Kether. In Waite’s card this Chariot is a stone cube referring to the physical
Universe, as well as to the Cube of Space, which Gareth Knight has called a
construct within Tiphareth. This idea is amplified by Case’s suggestion that
while the Throne is Kether, the place of the Throne is Tiphareth. 208
But another complexity must be introduced. Despite the fact that THE
CHARIOT is related to the Sun, it is guided by the Moon! And, from the
standpoint of the Tree of Life, and of the earliest Greek mythology, the Sun is
subordinate to the Moon. The Chariot follows this order, for it is the sign
Cancer, ruled by the Moon (and in which Jupiter is exalted). On the Tree of Life
the Path leading from Tiphareth to Kether is the cardinal Path of the Moon and
of Water, THE HIGH PRIESTESS. What takes precedence here is the Water
(Pure consciousness) that the Moon represents. It may also be mentioned that in
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 215
the symbolic pantheon of metals, silver at one time also took precedence over
gold.
It was not until the period of Greek history when the Apollo myth began
to take over from that of Helios as the Sun God, even coming to be represented
as driving the Chariot of the Sun across the sky each day, that the Sun began to
be considered of greater importance than the Moon . 209
All of these symbols are, of course, deeply involved with the history of
religions and with anthropology, which assigns occasionally contradictory
meanings to a given symbol. The corrective is that the Tarot Keys represent
truly universal archetypes, truths which remain immutable despite the limita-
tions of the attempts to describe them.
17. THE PATH OF ZAIN,
The Lovers
The Sixth Key
□ PATH COLOR- Orange
□ RELATED SOUND: D-Natural
□ SIGN: Gemini (Mutable Air)
□ MEANING: Sword or Armor
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Smell
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Chil-
dren of the Voice; The Oracle of
the Mighty Gods
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Seventeenth Path is
the Disposing Intelligence, which provides Faith to the Righ-
teous, and they are clothed with the Holy Spirit by it, and it is
called the Foundation of Excellence in the state of higher things.
216 The Qabalistie Tarot
The Path of Zain, THE LOVERS, between Binah and Tiphareth,
connects the pure consciousness from which form emerged with the central
point of all manifestation, a complexity which can barely be suggested by the
image on a Tarot card. It is perhaps for this reason that the design of the card
has changed over the centuries. In most of the earliest versions, such as the
Marseilles Tarot, it was called The Lover (singular) and showed a man between
two women, above whom was a cupid with a posed arrow. Presumably this
single lover made no sense to later Tarot artists, and in the eighteenth century
the card began to appear with two “Lovers” and a uniting figure of some sort.
Yet the early concept of The Lover is very profound,' for this card does
not represent the mundane love of two persons. It is, rather, the dualities of a
single individual, wilfully united in pursuit of Divine Love. Crowley’s point that
the card should really be called “The Brothers” is well taken. In fact, the Key’s
true meaning is imbedded in its sign of the Zodiac, Gemini, The Twins. The dual
energies which the Lover proposes to unite are equal and opposite, i.e., “twins.”
The uniting of these twins is a major step upwards, toward the Godhead on the
Tree of life.
The principle is that as Divine Energy surged across the Abyss into
manifestation, stable dualities were formed. The Great Work is a “marriage” of
these dualities of manifestation, a return to a primeval state. Thus, this Path
may be considered the aspect of the Garden of Eden from which mankind was
expelled, but to which it may earn re-entry by consciously dealing with what
has been called the inner Sun and Moon. The whole key to the Great Work is the
uniting of the Sun and the Moon under Mercury (the planet ruling Gemini).
In relating this symbolism to the Path of THE LOVERS, Case
performed a fascinating exercise in Gematria. He took the Hebrew title of the
Path from the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, and broke it down into its
component parts. The Path of Zain, is called the Disposing Intelligence,
2m M (ha-regesh), from which the following is derived: ( n means the ),~) is the
Sun, A is the Moon, and t) is Fire. So 2mt \ means the Sun + Moon + Fire. 210
On the Tarot card, the Sun is the man, the Moon is the woman, and the Divine
Fire above the Abyss is represented by the Angel or Cupid.
In explanation of this, Case states that the Sun is self-consciousness,
while the Moon is subconsciousness. These are both aspects of the one Life-
Breath, each working through half of the body. And “When the Solar and Lunar
currents of the Life-Power are rightly perceived, rightly discriminated, and
when their operation is kept in proper order, the personality of the man engaged
in this practice becomes a free, unobstructed channel for the outpouring of the
cosmic life force.” 211
Case was discussing not the Waite deck, but his own BOTA version, a
“correction” of the earlier deck which changed the symbolism little, but
improved the drawing quality and eliminated the personified Minor Cards.
Thus, one would expect explanations of the cards by Waite and Case to be
similar, even despite Waite’s apparent caution about what he put into
print. Such similarities, however, are few and where Case considered this card
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 217
one of dualities unified by the Spiritual Self, Waite merely emphasized its
relationship to the Garden of Eden. He referred to Adam and Eve and to the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, hut made no mention of Spiritual Alchemy
in this card which he called “love before it is contaminated by gross material
desire,” adding that “in a very high sense, the card is a mystery of the Covenant
and the Sabbath .” 212 One might well suggest that such comments, drawn from
his Pictorial Key to the Tarot are so cryptic as to be almost useless to the serious
student. The intention here is not to deprecate Waite, who must be respected for
maintaining his oaths of secrecy, but to point out the extent to which there are
two explanations to every card, an exoteric one and an esoteric one.
In all versions of this Key, no matter how it may be described or how
different the design, the esoteric meaning is the same. They all mean the union
of manifest opposites under the Divine Love of the Supernals through Binah. It
is, as Waite stresses, the Garden of Eden, but it is the Garden from which the
soul itself is expelled in manifestation and to which it may return. The same
message is in Crowley’s card, which shows the theme of union as an Alchemical
“Marriage” of the component parts of the seeker. The Golden Dawn also
represents this spiritual union, but with an important difference. The seeker
works actively for this to come about: the Higher Self descends to release the
Personality from bondage, recalling the idea, encountered with THE HANGED
MAN that while the Personality believes itself to be the pursuer, it is actually
the pursued.
The legend of Perseus and Andromeda, used to make this point, contains
some fascinating implications for the interpretation of the card. In the myth,
Andromeda was the daughter of the King of the Ethiopians and Cassiopeia,
who boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids (daughters of the Sea
God, Nereus). In anger the Nereids complained to Poseidon, who flooded the
land and then sent a terrible monster to inhabit it. The only way that this
monster could be vanquished was for the king’s daughter, Andromeda, to be
sacrificed to it, and she was thus tied to a rock on the shore.
Perseus, however, who had just successfully taken the head of Medusa,
saw her and fell in love. He wanted to marry Andromeda, which the father
insisted was only possible if the monster were slain. So Perseus killed the
monster, but Andromeda’s uncle, nevertheless, tried to prevent the marriage by
sending attackers against the hero. Perseus, in turn, displayed the frightful
head of Medusa, and turned his adversaries to stone after which he and
Andromeda lived more or less happily ever after.
However, in one ancient interpretation of the story, Perseus, Andro-
meda, her father, mother and the monster were brought into the sky where they
became constellations of the same names . 213 In Qabalistic terms, this could be
taken to mean that the actions of Perseus (i.e., the Spiritual Self) resulted in the
return of all participants to the sky, i.e., the Godhead. And while that
explanation may seem a bit strained, such mythologies were part of the general
culture at the time of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and were often
interpreted in esoteric terms.
218 The Qabalistic Tarot
The stress of the Golden Dawn card is on the extent to which the process
of this Path is a very active one, for the self-control and will (Mercury) which
directs the movement and integration of the opposites is not passive as the other
cards tend to suggest Perseus here has the same fiery, dynamic and inspira-
tional qualities ascribed to the Serpent.
Another indicator of activity on this Path is the attribution of the Sword
to Zain. This is an instrument of active division and separation; it is a sword of
perception which cuts to the core of things, and defines clearly. And insofar as
such perception is attributed to Zain, to it is also attached the sense of
smell, thus implying not only the most direct, but also the most subtle of
awareness and response.
While the sword is rarely found in this Tarot Key, it is very common in
Alchemical representations of the same theme as, for example in the “Eleventh
Key” of Basilius Valentinus, the seventeenth century alchemist. In his
illustration are two female twins, each mounted on a lion and holding a figure of
the Sun and of the Moon. Behind them is a man in armor (another meaning of
Zain) and holding a sword. The caption reads: “The twins Sun and Moon are
united by the conjunction which seems to be death .” 214 So we understand that
the consummation of this marriage requires a “death.” Indeed, to successfully
pursue this Path across the Abyss means the death even of one’s own Higher
Self. It is a willful and total self-destruction and immersion into the Divine. The
separation and re-integration of the dual components of the manifest Self
demands subordination of the Ego to the One Divine Principle. The Sword
destroys utterly those who will travel across the Abyss. Thus is the Path called
the Disposing Intelligence; it is an experience which is the completion of the
process begun on the Path of Samekh, TEMPERANCE. Taken together,
TEMPERANCE and THE LOVERS are the Alchemical formula of Solve et
Coagula. The Sword separates out (dissolves), an activity which we have
previously shown to mean analysis. This is followed by a synthesis, or re-
integration in a new way. Therefore, Solve et Coagula.
It can actually be quite intriguing to see how all of the complicated
symbols of Alchemy, Lions, Eagles, Glutens, Suns, Moons, etc., reduce to some
very basic psychological concepts. But here, again, we appreciate that such
descriptive terms did not exist until the present day, and we are forced to
interpret the codes of the early Qabalists, of Mathers, of Waite, and even of
Crowley. And in THE LOVERS, this requisite decipherment of language is
especially difficult.
Crowley, in fact, stated that THE LOVERS and TEMPERANCE were
the most difficult cards of the Tarot, which is certainly true. The Path of
TEMPERANCE requires a complete integration of the Personality in its
subordination to the Ego in Tiphareth. The Path of THE LOVERS requires a
complete integration of the totality of the self manifest in Microprosopus, for the
return of the Soul to the aspect of the “Garden” from which it emerged. In more
basic terms, TEMPERANCE is the balance of the Lower Self, THE LOVERS is
the balance of the Higher.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 219
By comparison with the Waite and Golden Dawn cards, Crowley’s
LOVERS is intellectually superior. Certainly no version of THE LOVERS has
ever been more daringly explicit in revealing the secret of the Path.
What is shown here is the “Royal Marriage,” of opposites, presided over
by the hooded figure who is at once the Hermit and the personification of
Mercury. Above are the figures of Eve and Lilith, with Cupid aiming an arrow
symbolizing the Will. The marriage takes place between the Black King and the
White Queen. He wears a gold crown, bears a lance, and is attended by the Red
Lion. His black child, interchanged with the White Queen’s child, holds the base
of the King’s lance in one hand and a club in the other. She is attended by the
White Eagle and her white child, who carries flowers in one hand and supports
the base of the Grail in the other. In the lower section of the card is the Winged
Orphic Egg, the very essence of life itself, which is the product of this union.
Perhaps the most curious assertion made by Crowley about this card (for
which he gives no basis whatsoever) is that in some original form it presented
the story of creation. He claims that at the center of the card was Cain, shown
having just slain Abel. This is described at some length in The Equinox . 216
While a reference to bloodshed may seem out of place in a card of
marriage, we are told that the shedding of the blood of the brother is the very
key to THE LOVERS: “The shedding of blood is necessary, for God did not hear
the children of Eden until the blood was shed .” 217 Crowley elaborates on this
idea in a footnote, wherein he explains that the bloody sacrifice is not
necessarily black magic. He says: “One should assume into one’s own being,
ceremonially, the whole karma of the creature slain .” 218 But the process is not to
be viewed as a unique and singular experience, for Crowley tells us that the
“integration of the card can only be regained by repeated marriages, identifica-
tions and some form of Hermaphroditism .” 219
So the process is one which is both reciprocal and repeated over and over
again. First one “brother” dies and is absorbed into the other. Then there is a
return to a balance of opposites after which the second brother is killed and
absorbed into the first. The process is defined by the infinity sign of Mercury-
Magician, since The Sun and Moon unite under Mercury.
Insofar as the marriage occurs repeatedly, the use of the number twelve
in both the Waite and Golden Dawn cards is highly significant. In Waite’s card
the Tree of Life behind the male figure holds twelve flames; in the Golden Dawn
card there are twelve points on the Star of Perseus’ shield. The twelve in both
cases refer to the Zodiac and the perfection of each of the types of incarnation.
Theoretically, return to the Godhead requires that we incarnate repeatedly and
perfect each of these types in turn.
As a marriage of the King and Queen under a floating Cupid, THE
LOVERS relates to the Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz, written at
the beginning of the seventeenth century . 220 This is a work which, like the Fama
Fraternitas is one of the key documents of Hermetic-Qabalism. And, unlike so
many alchemical texts, the Chemical Wedding is immensely readable, having
the charming qualities of a fairy tale. Yet is remains one of the most profound
220 The Qabalistic Tarot
pieces of esoteric symbolism ever written. Those who read the text, and meditate
on it, will gain exceptional insights into both THE LOVERS and TEMPER-
ANCE. One such insight relates to the suggestion that blood is spilled on this
Path. There are, in fact, a number of “events” at the Chemical Wedding which
reinforce this idea.
16. THE PATH OF VAU
The Hierophant
The Fifth Key
□ PATH COLOR: Red-Orange
□ RELATED SOUND: C Sharp
□ SIGN: Taurus (Fixed Earth)
□ MEANING: Nail or Hook
□ SIMPLE LETTER: Hearing
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Magus
of the Eternal.
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Sixteenth Path is the
Triumphal or Eternal Intelligence, so called because it is the
pleasure of the Glory, beyond which is no other Glory like to it,
and it is called also the Paradise prepared for the Righteous.
The Path of THE HIEROPHANT, Vau, leads from Chesed to Chokmah
and is the uppermost Path on the Pillar of Mercy. It is described in the Golden
Dawn documents as “The Zodiac acting through Taurus upon Jupiter,” which
may sound simplistic, but which is very accurate. This is the action of
Chokmah, as the spermatic potential of the manifest universe, upon the first
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 221
manifestation. Chokmah is the Supernal Father as Chesed is the Father in
manifestation. Chokmah is Yod of Macroprosopus; Chesed is the Yod of
Microprosopus.
Thus is the Path of Vau a powerfully masculine one to which Taurus, the
Bull, is applied. It is Fixed Earth in the Zodiac, meaning that it is a stable
foundation. And here, our earlier definition of this Path as a “stabilizing
extreme” is particularly useful.
THE HIEROPHANT is the opposite Path of THE CHARIOT, the
vehicle (stabilizing active extreme/ Cardinal Water) by which the Soul is carried
across the Abyss. THE HIEROPHANT is the celestial road on which THE
CHARIOT rides; it is the absolute foundation of the process of revelation; it is a
rock-solid base of experience between the Supreme Spiritual Self and the Ego of
Tiphareth, of which memory is one aspect.
The idea that THE HIEROPHANT relates to memory may be consider-
ed in light of the meaning of the word Vau, which means nail or hook. A nail
binds together, it unifies, suggesting that a primary function of THE HIERO-
PHANT is to link Microprosopus with Macroprosopus, i.e., the Great Universe
with manifestation. It is the Triumphal or Eternal Intelligence by which all that
we are is forever tied to the Divine Spirit. This binding consciousness is
described in a variety of symbolic ways, such as: It links the Sun and the Moon,
or it ties together the Above and the Below. It is also related to teaching, that
which introduces higher ideas into the lower organism. Expressing it another
way, it can be said that the intelligent energy which binds the pure inner spirit
to the outer aspects of manifestation is also the source for our understanding of
that inner spirit. It is the only source. THE HIEROPHANT is the only teacher.
He is, as the esoteric title of the card states, “The Magus of the Eternal.”
In many versions of this Key, the seated figure is shown as the Pope. The
imagery was explained by A.E. Waite with the suggestion that this is “a
particular application of the more general office that he symbolizes. He is the
ruling power of external religion, as the High Priestess is the prevailing genius
of the esoteric, withdrawn power .” 221 Paul Case emphatically disagreed with
this, saying that “On the contrary, he is the Pontifex, the ‘bridge-maker’ who
provides a connecting link between outer experience and interior illumina-
tion .” 222
But, as we shall presently consider, Waite touches on some very
important concepts in this card, which he called the “summa totius theologiae,
when it passed into the utmost rigidity of expression .” 223
Relative to the traditional use of the Catholic Pontiff in Tarot, it should
be appreciated that until very recently western esotericism was inextricably
bound to Christianity. At the period when the cards emerged, metaphysics was
merely a way of looking at the given faith, which was above question as a
system. There were no viable alternatives. Thus, the great esotericists were
either Catholic priests, or those who sought the approbation of the Catholic
hierarchy for their research. By example, one can cite the correspondence of
Henry Cornelius Agrippa with the great Humanist Abbot, John Trithemius.
The abbot, himself an avid student of these matters and a Hebrew scholar , 224
222 The Qabalistic Tarot
warmly responded to receipt of Agrippa’s Of Occult Philosophy: “With how
much pleasure I receive it no mortal tongue can express nor the pen of any
write .” 225 Neither the Prelate nor the younger occult philosopher were con-
demned for their work, because it was actually carried out within the confines of
accepted Catholic doctrine . 226
Thus, for the originators of the cards to have used the image of their
Pope to represent the mysteries of the energies of the Path of Vau, the Supreme
Teacher, was reasonable. This image is problematical only to those attempting
to separate the Hermetic Qahalah from the Medieval Christianity in which it
was unquestionably nurtured.
To the fifteenth century metaphysician this was not only the Pope as
administrator of the inner pathways, but it was the Pope as the teacher
speaking ex cathedra (from the Throne). In Catholic doctrine, when the Pope
speaks ex cathedra, his word is infallible. And when the leader of the faith
speaks infallibly, all must listen. Thus to Vau the Sepher Yetzirah attributes
hearing. The act of listening is shown in the Waite card by the two figures
kneeling before the Pope. We should take them to mean the opposite aspects of
ourselves in the human condition, united in their listening attention to the
Universal Teacher. These two figures are the Sun and Moon currents of the
body, reason and intuition, consciousnes and sub-consciousness, etc. These
qualities are anthromorphized as priests, i.e., participants at the altar rather
than spectators. The implication is that both are an integral and inseparable
part of the process of enlightenment, and that their obedience has been pledged
to the principle represented by THE HIEROPHANT.
Waite’s Hierophant blesses from his position between the two columns
of the Mysteries. At his feet are the crossed keys of Heaven (Gold, Sun) and Hell
(Silver, Moon). This latter is so attributed because one of the Moon goddesses
rules the underworld. In his hand is the Papal Cross, what has been called the
“Triple Cross of the Western peoples .” 227
Not surprisingly, the Golden Dawn and Crowley cards have both moved
away from the figure as Pope. The Golden Dawn figure retains the three-tiered
Papal crown, but as a symbol of the Supemals. The emphasis is placed on the
role of the Hierophant as shepherd and teacher of the Law. Crowley, whose
early training left him with intensely anti-Christian feelings has produced a
Hierophant reminiscent of one of the Titans, the primeval deities of the Greeks.
His main stress was on what we have called the “grounding” of the Key, for his
Kerubiim at the comers of the card are the tentative expression of the
primordial Elements of Kether which pass down to Chokmah as the Sphere of
the Zodiac. And while we think of the Zodiac as twelve, it is in reality four
triplicities. Each Element is broken down into three signs, Qabalistically
related to the Yod, Heh and Vau.
THE HIEROPHANT is the administrator of the duality which emerges
with Chokmah, is structured by Binah, and which begins as mainfestation
below the Abyss in Chesed. It is thus related to Tiphareth, the central point of
manifestation. Tiphareth is suggested in two ways here. The first is by the Vau
The Major Arcana on ihe Tree of Life 223
itself, the third letter of the Tetragrammaton, and the Son. The second is the
number attributed to Vau, six, which is also that of Tiphareth.
A more obtuse reference to Tiphareth is Crowley’s use of the five-
pointed star on the breast of the Hierophant. As the primordial Elements evolve
downward, they do so under the control of the fifth Element, Spirit. The
principle of the Pentagram holds even in Kether, where the Primordial
Elements are held in perfect unexpressed unity by a fifth which, at that exalted
level, is the Ain Soph. This perfect Unity is expressed by the Swastica in motion,
the central point of which is commensurate with the uppermost point of the
Pentagram.
What Crowley has done in placing the Pentagram so prominently here is
to affirm the uniting of the Above and the Below, a process in which the
symbolic Moon always plays a key part. For the Moon is found both above and
below the Sun on the Tree of Life. It is Yesod, and it is THE HIGH PRIESTESS.
Here both are implied, for the Moon is exalted in Taurus.
The fact that Taurus is ruled by Venus refers us to THE EMPRESS, the
Path of Daleth which is the mean between Chokmah and Binah, just as Vau is
the product of the Yod and Heh. THE EMPRESS is “Mother Nature,” the
fertilized Universal Conciousness which is at the root of THE HIEROPHANT’S
teaching. In this regard it should be observed that THE HIEROPHANT is on
the “feeling” (Venus-Netzach) side of the Tree of Life. We learn its lessons
through intuition, as we learn the lessons of its opposite, THE CHARIOT,
through intellect. On this Path intuition is applied to concepts collected by
reason and built up by memory.
Pursuant to the idea of Venus-EMPRESS behind Earth-HIEROPHANT,
there is a very interesting interplay of symbols: & , the sign meaning Earth
becomes <j> , the sign of Venus, when it is reversed. Also the sign of Taurus itself, is
a uniting of the symbols of Sim (©) and Moon ( ]) ), D + © = y . And, as we have
seen in the other cards, the uniting of the Sun and the Moon always refers to the
Garden of Eden. Vau is what the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom calls the “Paradise
Prepared for the Righteous.” THE HIEROPHANT is the Earthy aspect of the
Garden as THE CHARIOT is Watery, THE LOVERS is Airy and THE
EMPEROR Fiery. What we have explained as the grounding or the earthiness of
the Garden is the “Law” expounded by the Hierophant. The Golden Dawn
card shows this as a scroll (the same scroll of the Law which is held by THE
HIGH PRIESTESS in the Waite deck).
The scroll holds the “Word” which one hears through THE HIERO-
PHANT, and which is also the Logos. For the Word is creation, and to
understand the created Universe is to hear the Word. This is the essential
meaning of the Golden Dawn and Waite cards.
Crowley’s card, which is considered one of the most important of the
Tarot, contains many traditional elements, but adds some symbolism which is
entirely personal to Crowley’s philosophy. He explains the image of a child
within the Pentagram within a larger Hexagram: “This symbolizes the law of
the new Aeon of the Child Horus, which has supplanted that Aeon of the ‘Dying
224 The Qabalistic Tarot
God’ which governed the world for two thousand years.” And elsewhere he
adds . .for the rhythm of the Hierophant is such that he moves at intervals of
2,000 years.” 228
The Hierophant sits on a Bull between two elephants, holding a wand
with three interlocking rings. These rings symbolize the Aeons of Isis, Osiris
and Horus (The Child in the Pentagram is Horus). Beneath is the “Scarlet
Woman.” Above is what Crowley called an “oriel,” meaning a window
(referring to Heh, THE EMPEROR) built out from a wall on brackets, in this
case nine Nails (Vaus). The symbolism means the linking of the Above and the
Below: The window is the passageway for Light (manifest Spirit) between
Macroprosopus and Microprosopus.
In the Golden Dawn card the figure holds a Crook, one of the symbols of
Chesed suggestive of J upiterian benevolence. But Crowley warns that the card
is not necessarily benevolent, affirming an idea in the Book of Tokens that Vau
(the Fifth Key) is the severe root of Geburah. 229 Crowley takes this one step
farther “Though the face of the Hierophant appears benignant and smiling,
and the child himself seems glad with wanton innocence, it is hard to deny that
the expression of the initiator is something mysterious, even sinister. He seems
to be enjoying a secret joke at somebody’s expense. There is a distinctly sadistic
aspect to this card. . .” 230 Crowley insists that this is quite natural as the Key
relates to the original Bull legend, that of Pasiphae. In that Greek myth
Pasiphae falls in love with a sacred white bull, the union of which produces the
Minotaur. This is, however, a very questionable interpretation. On the other
hand, it is agreed by most authorities that there are some very unpleasant
aspects to this key, having to do with its position intermediate between the
Above and the Below.
This issue and its implications are very cleverly related to Gnosticism by
Richard Cavendish in his work. The Tarot:
Taken in descending order, the trumps from the Juggler to the
Pope recall the gnostic accounts of the creation of the Universe. It
was believed that in the beginning the One became Two by
thinking, so that there was a Mind and a Thought. The Juggler can
be equated with the divine Mind, the Female Pope with the
Thought in its original purity, and the Empress as the Thought
after it has become impregnated by the Mind to become the mother
of all the lower powers. Among those lower powers was the De-
murge or Cosmocrater, the maker of the visible world. . .Gnostics
frequently identified the Demiurge with the God of the Old
Testament. He was regarded as an evil power, the maker and ruler
of matter and flesh in which the divine spark of spirit is held
prisoner. . . The Pope also has some sinister undertones. Gnostics
maintained that the evil Demiurge invented conventional religion
and morality to keep men enslaved to him by inducing them to
worship him and obey his laws. 231
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 225
The Demiurge, the Lesser Creator who rules over manifestation, was the
great deceiver. Thus the initiate of the Valentinian Gnostic mysteries was
taught to ignore the authority of this creator , 232 whom Mead described as
“hanging from Spirit at the very boundary of the phenomenal universe .” 233 It
appears, in any event, that Cavandish is quite correct in his assertion that the
negative qualities ascribed by tradition to this card have their roots in
Gnosticism.
The implications of Gnostic thought are, in regard to Tarot, both
complex and exciting. One who has studied the Qabalah at some length may be
surprised to find the same concepts expressed in the language of early
Christianity. As one authority expressed the question: “Is Gnosticism Christian
Qabalism? Except for the name of Jesus we are in a completely Jewish world.
These are the mysteries of the Zohar and of the Hasidim .” 234
15. THE PATH OF HEH
The Emperor
The Fourth Key
□ PATH COLOR- Scarlet
□ RELATED SOUND: C Natural
□ SIGN: Aries (Cardinal Fire)
□ MEANING: Window
□ SIMPLE LETTER Sight
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: Sun of the
Morning, Chief Among the
Mighty.
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Fifteenth Path is the
Constituting Intelligence, so called because it constitutes the
substance of creation in pure darkness, and men have spoken of
226 The Qabalistic Tarot
these contemplations; it is that darkness spoken of in Scripture,
Job xxxviii.9. “and thick darkness a swaddling band for it.”
The higher we rise on the Tree of Life, the more obvious it becomes that
the Tarot trumps only point the way toward concepts which the mind cannot
otherwise grasp. Until the present day this was a great deal more difficult
because the language of psychology did not exist. Our terms such as
“conscious,” “sub-conscious” and “unconscious” are extremely useful tools
because they conceptualize something inordinately fluid. Thus, in our present
state of development, we easily deal with shades of consciousness within
ourselves. We are coming closer and closer to an ability to deal with
formlessness, pure consciousness. This is the promise of the so-called Age of
Aquarius, although it is rarely stated in such terms. The student who begins to
understand the next five Tarot Trumps (THE EMPEROR, THE EMPRESS,
THE HIGH PRIESTESS, THE MAGICIAN and THE FOOL) will have taken
a long step into that new age.
To this end it must be emphatically restated that the entire Tarot deck
reflects the Universe which is made up of permutations of The One. From the
One emerges opposites which are activating the formative, male and female. It
is accurate to say that all male and female figures in the Tarot are Chokmah
(Jah) and Binah (YHVH Elohim) wearing the robes of different planes, actually
levels of vibratory rate, of the Universe.
THE FOOL is the One God Energy. THE MAGICIAN and THE HIGH
PRIESTESS are the first differentiation into masculine and feminine within the
Macrocosm and the Microcosm. These are the personal, subjective energies of
the Macrocosm and the Microcosm. These are the personal, subjective energies
of the Paths, as opposed to the objective, Universal energies of the Sephiroth.
The Qabalistic theory is that THE MAGICIAN is the consort of THE
HIGH PRIESTESS. Considered psychologically, we know that THE MAGI-
CIAN stands for the Will, while THE HIGH PRIESTESS, the “Root of Water,”
is the Pure Unconscious. So to describe THE MAGICIAN as the mate of THE
HIGH PRIESTESS refers to the activity of the directing Will of the One on the
Great Ocean of undifferentiated consciousness which It has Itself projected. In
the Qabalah we are always dealing with reflexive qualities; God creates
thought, then mind to hold that thought. Everything has to do with the
perception and activity of The Divine Spirit on Itself, a process which various
systems of symbols attempt to suggest. As was described in considering the
WHEEL OF FORTUNE, the Alchemists spoke of the Divine Self-interaction in
terms of Sulphur, Salt and Mercury. These same terms may be applied to the
upper-level cards of the Tarot. THE MAGICIAN is Mercury, THE EMPRESS is
Salt and THE EMPEROR is Sulphur. Crowley has gone so far as to position his
Emperor so that the body forms a triangle and cross, symbol of the Alchemical
Sulphur A .
THE MAGICIAN (Philosophic Mercury) acts upon THE HIGH PRIES-
TESS (Pure Consciousness) and they are, by their union, transformed into THE
EMPEROR and THE EMPRESS, Sulphur and Salt. Of course, all of this may
seem little more than an obscure abstraction, a bending of words almost for
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 227
their own sake. But when we consider these principles as aspects of our own
consciousness, they are quite basic.
When we close our eyes and allow free-form images to float by us. Taking
whatever direction they will, we are tapping into the life energy “ruled” by THE
EMPRESS. When we begin to think about what is happening before our eyes,
classifying the images according to color, subject, or any other criterion, we are
calling THE EMPEROR into play. We are acting upon form.
This is another of those cards where Paul Case brought exceptional
insight to bear, as he explained why THE EMPEROR is on the Path below THE
EMPRESS. He says: “Because she is the manifesting power which brings forms
into being he has something to rule. . . The Magician, who appears now as the
Emperor, would have nothing to control or transform did not subconsciousness
send up from its depths a stream of images to be classified by the exercise of
reason .” 235
It should be obvious that there is a certain crossover of the Yod and Heh
energies. THE EMPRESS is the balance between Chokmah and Binah. She is
the growth which comes from the interaction of the male and female, as in the
fertilized cell. She is pure fruition. THE EMPEROR, on the other hand, while a
potent masculine energy, is Heh on the Paths, meaning that its function is
determined by Binah. This is a formative Path, its activities are rational and
classifying, as is underscored by its bright red color, that of Binah in the World
of Pure Spirit, Atziluth. The lower we go on the Tree of Life, the more the male
and female energies are interwoven. And, by this reasoning, one might assume
that the only “pure” male and female in the Universe are at the level of
Chokmah and Bi nah , which is unfortunately not the case.
Having come to the level of the Supernal Paths, it is necessary to
introduce an idea which may be perceived as destructive to the entire tower of
male and female principles so neatly established to this point. Let us state the
problem abruptly:
Chokmah ( naan , Wisdom), meaning the primary quality of maleness,
is a female noun. And, if we are willing to accept the assertions of Gematria, the
idea that sages of the past have buried truths in the interaction of numbers
applied to each letter, or that each letter is itself a holy symbol, can we believe
that the very gender of the title is insignificant here? Obviously not. However,
the gender of the Hebrew noun for Wisdom is rarely mentioned by writers on the
Qabalah, because it appears to be an irreconcilable problem of language.
But let us here take the point of view that whatever “gives birth” is
exercising a primary female quality at the moment of birth. Adam is the first
(symbolic) male, but insofar as his rib became the first female, he conceived and
gave birth, thus performing a female function. The female was inherent in the
male. What we are describing is not exactly androgeny, or even bi-sexuality,
since it is a real transformation of the function of a given energy. Within all that
is male there is female, and within all that is female there is male. In Jungian
terms, the male harbors the perfect female image in his unconscious, as the
female harbors the perfect male image in her unconscious. These are images of
the self as opposite gender, the “contrasexual component.” This is what Jung
228 The Qabalistic Tarot
called the Anima (Female) in males and the Animus (Male) in females. These
idealized qualities are personified as the Magna Mater, the Great Mother who is
Binah and as the Wise Old Man, a personification of spiritual principle who is
Chokmah . 236 On the Paths, THE EMPRESS is Anima and THE EMPEROR is
Animus. In Latin Anima means soul, while Animus means spirit; the very
concept of soul represents the enclosure, or definition of boundaries of spirit, the
Heh creating boundaries around the spiritual Yod. Thus the perfectly developed
male type on the Paths is THE EMPEROR, and the perfectly developed female
type is THE EMPRESS. These are the pure energies with which we meet and
actually converse on the Paths.
Whatever terms may be used to describe THE EMPEROR, he remains
the bridge between The Father (Chokmah) and The Son (Tiphareth). And the
very fact that the Sun of Tiphareth is exalted in the sign of this Path, Aries,
indicates that THE EMPEROR exercises some control of the Solar energy of the
Higher Self. Thus the Path of Heh is called the Constituting Intelligence,
meaning that it assists in the building up of the Light of Tiphareth from the
utter darkness of the Supernal Triangle, as rational genetic structure directs the
rising of the plant from the intense darkness of the Earth.
The importance of Tiphareth to THE EMPEROR is indicated by
Crowley in his use of a Sun behind the Emperor’s head, and in the overall two-
color scheme. The card has been painted in Martian reds and Sun-yellows,
warm colors suggesting a furious rush of activity which may be short-lived.
There are also martial overtones, although it is only in Waite’s card, with its
armored figure, that this is emphasized, which is somewhat surprising
considering the Golden Dawn text: “the General. . . the Conquerer, hot
passionate, impetuous.” The Golden Dawn card itself shows a ruler who, while
he has absolute dominion, as is symbolized by the Orb and Cross in his left
hand, is not a warrior. He is precise and firm, applying a mathematically
measured reason to all things, but he does not wield a sword. The Sword is
carried not on this Path of the fiery aspect of the Garden of Eden, but on its airy
counterpart, THE LOVERS. And while the driver of THE CHARIOT of the
water aspect is Odin, God of War, he is not shown at battle. In fact, the greatest
sub-surface belligerence is with the earthy part of the Garden, THE
HIEROPHANT.
It may now be suggested that these four cards, when considered in terms
of a fifth, THE HIGH PRIESTESS, constitute a practical formula for the
crossing of the Abyss. They are the means of attaining the Garden of Eden,
which is the amalgam of multiple states of energy.
Pursuant to the Garden theme, it must again be noted that Crowley
proposes an interchange of THE EMPEROR with THE STAR , 237 which we
believe to be a mistake. In dealing with THE STAR, we describe THE
EMPEROR as the “Fiery aspect of the Garden of Eden,” to which the Higher
Self relates, while THE STAR is the Eden of the Personality. In both cases these
are states where the general has just become specific, a pristine point where the
consciousness can look both forward and backward. Thus is sight attributed to
Heh. This is the self-observation of the One. It is the first Path to which a
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 229
sensory function is attributed in the Sepher Yetzirah, suggesting that sight is
the first of the senses as Aries is the first in the sequence of the Zodiac. And as
the first sign, THE EMPEROR, Aries, emerges directly from Chokmah The
Sphere of the Zodiac. That THE EMPEROR is based in the Chokmah energy is
symbolized by the grey stone throne on which he sits in the Golden Dawn and
Waite cards.
The Constituting Intelligence is understood as the first phase of a
natural cycle. It stimulates the development of natural structures, as “Aries
brings forth the Spring.” The Golden Dawn card symbolizes this by the Aries-
Ram wand, the wielding of the Aries energy by THE EMPEROR, and by the
Ram beneath his feet.
In this one would expect the Emperor to be represented as a dynamic
and masculine figure at the very peak of his abilities. Both the Golden Dawn
and Crowley cards have taken this approach. Waite, on the other hand, followed
by Case in the BOTA version, represents the Emperor as the traditional
“Ancient of Days,” the One who is older than time itself, the Supernal Father.
Here there is disagreement as to whether the figure should be shown full-face or
in profile, the profile tradition having been accepted by the Marseilles deck
which shows the Emperor seated facing the viewer’s left. Crowley adopted the
same symbolism apparently agreeing that it is impossible for one to know the
totality of the Emperor while in this earthly existence. On the other hand, the
“Ancient Bearded King seen in profile” is symbolic of Kether and its
relationship to the Ain Soph, not Chokmah. Presumably this explains the
decision of Mathers and Waite to show the Emperor’s full-face.
Most of the symbols on these cards are traditional: The Veil of the Abyss
behind the Golden Dawn Emperor, Waite’s Ankh Cross or the one symbol on
which all four cards agree, The Orb of Dominion. Crowley, however, has made
some obscure symbolic references. The Bee and the Fleur de Lys, for example,
are described by him as related to the generalization of the paternal power . 238
Another obscure symbol is the eagle on the Emperor’s shield. The Marseilles
card also uses an eagle, though it is merely a reference to imperial power. But
Crowley’s eagle is two-headed, with a crimson disk behind. He explains that
this is the Alchemist’s red tincture related to the Sun and to Gold. A similar
white eagle on his EMPRESS card refers to the Moon and to Silver.
One final aspect of Crowley’s card is symbolically problematical. At
least his explanation of it seems unsatisfactory. We refer to the lamb at the
lower right of the card, of which he says: “At his feet, couchant, is the Lamb and
Flag, to confirm this attribution on a lower plane; for the ram, by nature, is a
wild and courageous animal, lonely in lonely places, whereas when tamed and
made to lie down in green pastures, nothing is left but the docile, cowardly,
gregarious and succulent beast. This is the theory of government .” 239 One may
be delighted by Crowley’s wit, but somewhat puzzled by his use of an accepted
symbol of the resurrected Christ to mean something “docile, cowardly,
gregarious” and even “succulent.” It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that this
is another of Crowley’s attacks on traditional Christianity, although the image
is certainly inspired by the Golden Dawn ram.
230 The Qabalistic Tarot
14. THE PATH OF DALETH
The Empress
The Third Key
□ PATH COLOR: Emerald Green
□ RELATED SOUND: F-Sharp
□ PLANET: Venus
□ MEANING: Door
□ DOUBLE LETTER: Wisdom-
Folly
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Daugh-
ter of the Mighty Ones.
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Fourteenth Path is
the Illuminating Intelligence, and is so called because it is that
Brilliant One which is the founder of the concealed and funda-
mental ideas of holiness and of their stages of preparation.
The Path of THE EMPRESS connects Binah and Chokmah. As such, it
is the mediating Path of the Supreme Spiritual Self. It is the Path of unity of the
Father and Mother, the Path on which their interaction occurs. In this regard,
THE EMPRESS is called the “Daughter of the Mighty Ones.”
As Chokmah has the potential to emanate the pure “female,” so Binah
has the potential for the creation of all life forms. Thus the Waite deck and
others show the Empress pregnant, in a state of incubation and passivity which
is the result of the merging of the energies of Chokmah and Binah. THE
EMPRESS is the universal womb in which all manifestation is gestated. It is a
transitional state of energy between the Above and Below which has been called
the “Gate of Heaven.”
Daleth means door. It is a door which effects a transition from One into
many. In fact, the key to this card is multiplicity. While the robe of THE HIGH
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 231
PRIESTESS is ideally represented as simple and diaphanous, that of THE
EMPRESS is appropriately covered with all the jewels of creation.
Of course, in this and in the three cards remaining, words are strictly
metaphorical. In fact, at the level of the Supernal Triangle, the Tarot pictures
themselves unconsciously communicate a great deal more about the forces
involved than could any words. Yet even there we may be painfully aware of the
inadequacies of our anthropomorphic symbolism in attempting to present a
concept of pure fruition. To this end one might offer an analogy having to do
with Netzach, the most dense level of the Venus energy. As an exercise, the
student should try to conceive of pure emotion, that is feeling which has no
subject and no object, which is neither love nor hate, but which is the raw
material of both. That may convey something of THE EMPRESS who is the
Great Mother of ideas, Mother Nature.
Almost every culture has some form of Earth Mother, or Mother of the
Gods. And in almost every case, this maternal Goddess gives birth to an
intermediate deity which directly rules the earth, such as Christ. Not infre-
quently, also, God the Son appears through a “virgin birth,” although as Frazer
observes, the idea of a miraculous birth probably comes down from a period
when man had not yet recognized that children are the result of sexual
activity . 240 Thus, the Virgin Mary, the Christian version of God the Mother,
may be related to the Empress after she is pregnant or has given birth to Christ.
Before this, she is the High Priestess.
It is important to bear in mind that the Great Mother is inextricably
linked with Earth, for in incarnation we function only in terms of Earth. All
that is natural to the formation of life on earth is the province of THE
EMPRESS. She builds life forms around the Spirit of Life, establishing laws of
the Universe, having to do with formalization and restriction.
But beyond the idea of law, or formalization, which we have repeatedly
stressed in terms of the Supernal female energy, there is another idea which
must be stressed, that of love. THE EMPRESS who establishes the laws of
Macroprosopus, and gives birth to Microprosopus, is also Venus-Aphrodite,
Goddess of Love.
In the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom Daleth is called the Luminous
Intelligence, as the Path of Chokmah is called the Illuminating Intelligence.
The implication is that the brilliance of Chokmah illuminates all things as it
passes through the doorway which is THE EMPRESS. “Luminous” has the
meaning of being filled with Light, as well as emitting Light. Yet in this context
it will be appreciated that Light, per se, is referred to manifestation below the
Abyss. The illuminating qualities of Chokmah are the potential for the Light
which is emanated by Binah, and which is Microprosopus, the Lesser
Countenance. THE EMPRESS may aptly be called the Mother of Light. To pass
through her on the Path of return is to enter the Supreme Darkness. One may
pass through a door in either direction, which is one of the points to the card.
The dualities of the EMPRESS-doorway relate particularly to the
Roman God Janus, always shown with two faces going in opposite directions.
232 The Qabalistic Tarot
Janus was the God of doorways (janua means door) who presided over
communications (the passage of ideas) and who controlled the affairs of men.
He was considered the God of Gods, Janus Pater who, like THE EMPRESS,
oversaw creation. Ovid described him as chaos, within which life was latent. 241
Originally, Janus was also a Solar deity, another parellel with THE EMPRESS,
who is the Mother of the Sun. In fact, almost everything that can be said about
Janus can be said about THE EMPRESS, despite the fact that the primary God
form related to this Path is Venus- Aphrodite.
In Greek mythology Aphrodite rose naked from the foam of the sea,
riding a scallop shell. Wherever she stepped onto the land, flowers grew. 242
Thus, THE EMPRESS can be described in terms of luxurious proliferation, each
facet of nature being so compelling, so beautiful, if not hypnotic, that it is
possible to lose sight of the overview of the Path. As Crowley warns: “. . . the
student who is dazzled by any given manifestation may be led astray. In no
other card is it so necessary to disregard the parts and to concentrate upon the
whole.” 243
While Aphrodite is usually called “Goddess of Love,” she is also known
as the “Goddess of Desire,” 244 a title with special implications for students of the
mysteries. Netzach is often called the center of desire, for to feel is to desire. But
there is also a practical lesson in that desire is born with the most abstract
principle of form. It is often stated in eastern literature that to lose all desire, i.e.,
to want nothing is to become truly one with the Universe. The coming to, or
leaving of, desire, is one aspect of the doorway which is Daleth.
The symbol of Venus encompasses all of the Sephiroth on the Tree of
Life (see Figure 17), another indication that the idea of love is the formative
energy of the Universe. Here one should also consider the fact that the lower
appearance of Venus is in a Sephira, and is thus objective. Netzach is a part of
the Astral Triangle of Personality. But when the Venus energy appears in the
highest realm of the Tree of Life, is it on a Path, i.e., it is subjective.
Three planetary forces find their objective expression as Sephira low
(meaning density) on the Tree of Life, while their subjective expression, as
Paths, are found at the opposite extreme. These are Hod-Mercury, THE
MAGICIAN; Yesod-Moon, THE HIGH PRIESTESS; and Netzach-Venus, THE
EMPRESS. Thus, the entire Astral Triangle of Sephiroth is expressed subjec-
tively in relationship to the Supernal Triangle. There is a very profound
mystery imbedded here.
Turning to the card images, we find that the Golden Dawn EMPRESS
stresses ruling qualities more than do the Waite and Crowley designs. This is
somewhat better symbolism than Waite’s luxurious treatment in that it allows
for the fact that the Empress can destroy as well as create. In the Mathers’ card
the outer robe is the green of Netzach-Venus, but inside is the dynamic and fiery
red of Binah in Atziluth. For THE EMPRESS, growth and destruction are
concurrent activities. In ourselves, for example, cells are constantly being bom
as old cells die. This is the process of growth, destruction and renewal. Thus
does THE EMPRESS function in us, the Microcosm. To know the energies of
this Path of Daleth, the door, is to understand and be able to manipulate the
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 233
three-fold process. This is a process which reconciles opposites, as is shown by
the Ankh Cross, a symbol of life combining male and female, held suggestively
at the womb of the Empress. In the other hand she holds an orb of the Sun,
meaning that she dominates the Heavens (The Orb and Cross of the Marseilles
Tarot means domination of the Earth).
Like THE EMPEROR, The Golden Dawn EMPRESS is seated before a
veil, meaning that to pass beyond her is to cross into a completely new level of
consciousness where her laws no longer apply. The veil points to a dramatic
separation.
No such separation is indicated in the Waite card which emphasizes the
flow of life, THE EMPRESS in her phase of munificent fruition. She is Mother
Earth and Mother Venus, carrying the planetary sign on her dress and on her
shield. The heart shape of the latter is a rather trite way of showing that she is
the Goddess of Love. Her pearls and the Cypress trees in the background are
also sacred to Venus, while the foreground wheat refers to the figure as Isis. On
her head is a crown of twelve stars, the same Zodiac found on THE FOOL. It is
the crown of the Illuminating Intelligence (Chokmah/Sphere of the Zodiac). She
is also intended to be understood as the woman of Revelation who is “Clothed
with the Sun.”
The real key to this card is the stream of crystalline pure water flowing
downward at the right. This is the water from which Aphrodite is born, what is
“activated,” i.e., churned into foam, by the “will” of THE MAGICIAN. This is a
continuous process whereby the pristine consciousness of THE HIGH PRIES-
TESS gives rise to the unconscious thought-patterns of THE EMPRESS. In the
microcosm this means creative imagination, our own ability to create mental
forms, to structure concepts. In the macrocosm this means the same structur-
ing, but of the “pictures,” which are general to the human race, rather
than specific to the individual. In THE EMPRESS are thought forms which
become more dense as they are expressed into manifestation, and are
administred by the Sun-center of Tiphareth.
There is an important practical parallel here. God creates the Universe
(continuously) by thought. We do the same thing. We create a reality by
imagining it, by thinking it into being. All that we create in our minds becomes.
This is one of the basic precepts of the Mysteries which is all too often
misunderstood or approached with ridicule. At any event, as one grows in
spiritual power, the implications of responsibility for what one thinks, are very
profound.
In his card Crowley shows THE EMPRESS as representative of
alchemical Salt, the inactive principle which is energized by alchemical Sulphur
to “maintain the whirling equilibrium of the Universe .” 245 Here the figure is
designed in the shape of the alchemical symbol, a circle with a line bisecting it
horizontally. The twisted blue shapes represent flames, and her birth from
water. She holds a chalice-like lotus, a living form of the Holy Grail. At her
waist is the Zodiac; above her head are the birds of Venus, sparrow and dove; at
her feet are the Pelikan who feeds her young with her own flesh (a common
Christian symbolism of some interest in that the Great Mother gives birth to
234 The Qabalistic Tarot
God the Son, who is self-sacrificed) and a shield with the alchemical white eagle
corresponding to the red eagle of THE EMPEROR.
To reiterate Crowley’s alchemical references: THE MAGICIAN is
Mercury, THE EMPRESS is Salt and THE EMPEROR is Sulphur. These
attributions should be considered in terms of the attribution of the same
symbols in the Golden Dawn documents. There Kether is Mercury, Chokmah is
Salt, and Binah is Sulphur . 246
13. THE PATH OF GIMEL
The High Priestess
The Second Key
□ PATH COLOR: Blue
□ RELATED SOUND: G Sharp
□ PLANET: Moon
□ MEANING: Camel
□ DOUBLE LETTER: Peace-War
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Prin-
cess of the Silver Star.
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Thirteenth Path is
named the Uniting Intelligence, and is so called because it is
itself the Essence of Glory. It is the Consumation of the Truth of
individual spiritual things.
Having just considered the Path of THE EMPRESS, one of warm
enclosure (a literal return to the cosmic womb) and of maternal protection, the
Path of THE HIGH PRIESTESS may be somewhat disconcerting. It is as if the
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 235
Supreme Mother has removed her smiling mask, to reveal her true face, which is
cold and expressionless, though beautiful. All of the Material help of THE
EMPRESS has vanished. There are no more illusions. We must face the
crystalline reality of our own absolute free will, the most difficult task of the
Mysteries related to the crossing of the Abyss.
The Paths of Gimel (THE HIGH PRIESTESS), Samekh (TEMPER-
ANCE) and Tau (THE UNIVERSE) may be considered aspects of the same
energy which together make up the devotional Middle Pillar. This is suggested
by the Path colors in Atziluth, which are indigo (deepest blue) and blue which is
the color of Water and of the Moon. These three Paths all relate to the Moon.
Gareth Knight describes the Path of Tau as the “Gateway to the inner
planes,” and those of Samekh and Gimel as “Dark Nights of the Soul.” 247 The
term “Dark Night,” coined by the sixteenth century monk, St. John of the Cross,
means the desolation and terror that is felt as one is in the middle of the Path
towards truth, but has not reached the end. This is particularly applicable to the
Path of THE HIGH PRIESTESS, which traverses the frightening desert- Abyss.
But there is the implication that we may be borne across this desert by
the forces of the Path itself, for Gimel means Camel. It is a beast which may
carry us on the Path which is at once the longest and the most important on the
Tree of Life. 248 The Path is the first to come from the Supernal Triangle
(potential) to the Ethical Triangle (the “actual”). Moreover, its very position on
the Tree, between God the Father in Kether and God the Son in Tiphareth,
shows it to confer the very highest initiation.
This initiation is through that virgin essence which has been called the
“lower Chokmah.” There are correspondences between the Path and the
Sephira, which can be established by Gematria: The names Gimel ( ) and
Chokmah ( nnDfi ) both add to 73. But, more important, is the idea that
Wisdom is alternately expressed as masculine or feminine. The word is feminine
in most languages, though applied in Chokmah to the quality of primary
maleness. To say that THE HIGH PRIESTESS is the lower Chokmah is to say
that as the One expands outward, the seed of expansion contains the means of
its own limitation. Then, as Crowley put it: “This first and most spiritual
manifestation of the fe mini ne takes to itself a masculine correlative, by
formulating in itself any geometrical point from which to contemplate
possibility.” 249 The concept is an impossibly difficult one, and here, more than
in other cards, we are faced with the fact that the terms most descriptive of these
principles may seem totally nonsensical. The common description of the key is
more approachable, that being THE HIGH PRIESTESS as the most pure
essence of consciousness, symbolized in the Tarot as the very source of all
Water.
The source of Water is the idea behind the idea behind form. Case
amplified this concept in saying that: “. . .no matter how many forms develop
from it, the virgin substance is itself unchanged. Like water, which holds matter
in suspension or solution, this substance remains over itself. Here is one key to
the alchemical mystery of the First Matter. Here, too, one may find a clue to the
inner significance of the Virgin myths of all religions.” 250
236 The Qabalistic Tarot
Almost every writer on Tarot has found such keys to keys in THE HIGH
PRIESTESS. She is often, in fact, described as the “Inner Mysteries” or
esotericism as opposed to THE HIEROPHANT who is sometimes identified
with exoteric religion. But THE HIGH PRIESTESS must be studied in terms of
THE MAGICIAN, in that she carries out what he initiates. This interaction can
be discussed in a number of terms. She can be called the Root Matter and he the
First Matter (Prima Materia), or she can be considered the result of his self-
consciousness. However it may be symbolized, THE MAGICIAN symbolizes a
condition prior to unconscious “thought.” This condition acts upon THE HIGH
PRIESTESS in such a way that the Gimel Path becomes the “mind” capable of
carrying the thought forms of which the Universe will eventually be composed.
She is the source of the vibratory patterns of the Universe which underly
everything. Thus, the Crowley card shows a figure composed of waves of
energy, under which are the mental forms affected by those waves. Moreover,
nothing can grow in the garden of THE EMPRESS without this underlying
structure of energies.
The Wisdom of THE HIGH PRIESTESS is in regulation. Her fluctua-
ting rates of vibration establish the direction (sets the pattern) for the First
Matter ( Prima Materia= Philosophic Mercury=MAGICIAN) as it “descends”
toward a condition of greater density. It is for this reason that the Moon is
attributed to this Path. The vibratory pattern, the waxing and waning, and all
of its other attributes, are here found at the most pure source. The Moon
represents fluctuations, dualities, tides. It is the Moon which controls the tides
of the waters of consciousness.
The Moon is cold, harboring neither good nor bad. Its potent currents, as
the meaning of the double letter Gimel, war-peace, suggests, may be problem-
solving or causing. But no matter what the result of the activity of THE HIGH
PRIESTESS, she herself remains unchanged, incorruptible, ever virgin. She is
moreover, the vessel for all the operations of the Supernal Triangle; it is within
her that the activity of Mercury, Sulphur and Salt takes place. She is the
Uniting Intelligence, an activity which is also related to the Four Elements.
We have shown how four Paths rising into the Supernal Triangle each
represent a different Element, and have suggested that each is an aspect of the
“Garden of Eden.” THE HIGH PRIESTESS, again, is the Uniting Spirit, that
fifth element which is symbolized by the uppermost section of the Pentagram.
To reiterate: HIEROPHANT=Earth, LOVERS=Air, CHARIOT=Water, EM-
PEROR=Fire and THE HIGH PRIESTESS=Spirit. She is at once the source
and uniting regulator over the four other Paths. She is also the source of the
Four Rivers of Paradise: The Pison (River of Fire), The Gihon (River of Water),
The Hiddikel (River of Air) and The Phrath (River of Earth).
The idea of THE HIGH PRIESTESS as pure vessel is commensurate
with the retentive qualities of the Camel, an animal which stores water for a
long desert trip. This suggests another type of retention, memory. Within THE
HIGH PRIESTESS are, in fact, concealed the memories of the race as well as
those of the Cosmos. Her veil suggests this concealment. In the Golden Dawn
card it is draped around her, covering her eyes so that it is impossible to look
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 237
directly into her face. The Waite card uses a hanging cloth behind the figure,
which has the same meaning. But the Crowley HIGH PRIESTESS seems veiled
with Light itself. He calls her the “Soul of Light” in the sense that it is Light
which conceals the True Spirit. This is the Spirit which we have called a “Fiery
Darkness,” and which is the substance of the Supernal Potential. This is THE
HIGH PRIESTESS, in any version of the card, understood to be clothed in
Light. This is the Light before the Abyss above Tiphareth. It is a Light so
brilliant that none may look upon it who have not become of the same nature.
What is required here is a re-thinking of the essence of Light. All
religions stressing Light are based on a Tiphareth Sun-God. These include
Christ, Buddha, Apollo, Osiris, Ahurda-Mazda, etc. What is important is that,
unlike organized religion, the Mysteries teach that Light does not reveal ; it
conceals by its very brilliance.
The Path of THE HIGH PRIESTESS, like the Moon itself, goes from the
most brilliant light to the most intense darkness. Thus, the principles of the
Moon and its deities, Diana-Artemis and Hecate, apply. Of course, one can
choose from numerous variations on the same theme, appreciating that
mythology grew out of social needs to a large extent. Thus, we find that Hecate,
as described by Hesiod, was the original triple-goddess ruling heaven and earth.
Later periods concentrated on her more unpleasant aspects as Goddess of the
underworld, and the darker aspects of magic. She remained, nonetheless,
associated with the Moon as Hecate-Selene, the “Far shooting Moon,” an aspect
of Artemis. 251
Artemis, in one legend the sister of Apollo and daughter of Zeus, was the
bringer of fight and the eternal virgin. 252 And as we find that THE HIGH
PRIESTESS is called the “Princess of the Silver Star,” we are also told that
Artemis was known as the “Maiden of the Silver Bow.” This suggests
tEMPERANCE, the lower extension of THE HIGH PRIESTESS, which is
Sagittarius, the Archer. Its arrow may fly heavenward, or deeply into the Earth.
Artemis was also the triple Moon Goddess. First she was the maiden,
then the (orgiastic) Nymph, then the old crone. 253 She was all the phases of
woman at once. These aspects of the Moon are symbolized by the crown of the
High Priestess in Waite’s card: the full Moon is shown at the center, with the
waxing and waning moon represented at either side.
One might well wonder how it is possible for Artemis to be at once
eternal virgin and orgiastic Nymph, but that is the whole mystery of THE
HIGH PRIESTESS. It is rather like the play Camino Real, by Tennessee
Williams. Every month, by the light of a full moon, an old gypsy woman turns
her prostitute daughter back into a virgin, which is, as she says, quite a trick.
The idea of THE HIGH PRIESTESS as the Uniting Intelligence, the
reconciler of opposites, is represented by Waite as the two pillars, black and
white, from the supposed Temple of Solomon. They symbolize the union of all
polarities on this Path, of which the card number is 2. This is the number of
reflection and duplication. And as we called upon the infinity symbol of Waite’s
MAGICIAN in discussing the Path of Samekh (TEMPERANCE), that figure
also applies here on the upper extention of Samekh, the Path of Gimel. To
238 The Qabalistic Tarot
restate our thesis: THE HIGH PRIESTESS acts on the First Matter of THE
MAGICIAN and causes it to function in the pattern of the figure eight on its
side. One cycle is opposed and duplicated, though the flow of energy is totally
unified. The energy of THE MAGICIAN is held in a reciprocal, alternating,
pattern by that which is called THE HIGH PRIESTESS. This holding,
enclosing and duplicating function is the first female quality on the Tree.
In more contemporary terms, THE HIGH PRIESTESS is what Jung
called the “virgin anima ,” 254 related to the “vrigin’s milk,” which he called the
“Life giving power of the unconscious.” The virgin’s milk, which is alchemical
symbolism is fed to the “Stone” as mother’s milk is fed to a baby, is synonymous
with the Water of THE HIGH PRIESTESS.
The Golden Dawn and Waite cards both suggest the dispersal of this
Water from THE HIGH PRIESTESS. In the Golden Dawn version, the figure
stands upon a Moon above waves ; in the Waite version, the robe of THE HIGH
PRIESTESS seems to turn into water at its base. Crowley’s card is more
technical than the others in that it represents a very complicated set of wave
forms. More than the others, his design captures the quality of the Path.
Crowley states, in fact, that his card is “very peculiarly a glyph of the work of
the A.A .” 255 In his BOTA course, Tarot Fundamentals, Case also attaches broad
meaning to the card, which he explains as a summation of the seven Hermetic
Principles of the Kybalion (discussed in our introduction ). 256
Case’s BOTA card, a modification of Waite’s HIGH PRIESTESS, is less
evocative than that of the Golden Dawn or Crowley. On the other hand, Waite’s
symbolism is extremely precise. THE HIGH PRIESTESS is shown as the
unifying agent between the two columns of the Temple; unification and balance
being also represented by the cross on her breast, which Waite called a Solar
Cross . 257 Behind her is the veil of the Temple, covered with palms and
pomegranates. Waite was not very explicit about the reason for this choice of
plant forms, although Case says (rather unconvincingly) that the Palms are
male, while the Pomegranates are female . 258 Waite’s comments, however
incomplete, suggest another explanation. He says of THE HIGH PRIESTESS:
“. . .she is really the Secret Church, the House which is of God and man .” 259 This
implies that she represents all the inner tenets of religion. One might, therefore,
suggest that the palm is a traditional Christian symbol representing the
“triumph” of Christ on his entry into Jerusalem. The Pomegranate, on the other
hand, is associated with the very ancient mysteries. It occurs frequently in the
Old Testament, and was given special significance by the Eleusian Myster-
ies . 260 It is therefore likely that Waite intended to convey the idea that THE
HIGH PRIESTESS is the central core, the unifying factor in all faiths,
especially Christianity and Judaism.
Other aspects of the Waite card are more certain, for example, the scroll
on which appear the letters T O R A. This is the Scroll of the Law established by
THE HIGH PRIESTESS. It is also intended to refer to a common, though
simplistic, manipulation of the letters into TARO and into ROTA, the latin
word for wheel. This means that the Tarot is the Law as well as the very Wheel
of Life. In this regard, it is seen that in the Golden Dawn deck the Scroll of the
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 239
Law is held by THE HIEROPHANT, who administers that which is proposed
by Binah. A scroll in the hands of THE HIGH PRIESTESS does, however, point
out that she is the repository of cosmic memory.
The Marseilles card is the least interesting of the four, with one
exception, which is its very title, The Female Pope. The card is said to represent
Pope Joan, described by Stephen de Bourbon in his thirteenth century work. As
the story goes, a ninth century English girl fell in love with a monk. In order
that they could live together, she dressed herself as a man. After the monk’s
death, she went to Rome and, retaining male dress, became a priest. Supposedly,
she moved up through the ranks of the Church, became a Cardinal, and was
finally elected Pope John VIII. She died on the steps of Saint Peter’s giving
birth . 261 The story is mythical, but is important because it was widely believed
during the period when the Tarot cards appeared.
12. THE PATH OF BETH
The Magician
The First Key
□ PATH COLOR: Yellow
□ RELATED SOUND: E-Natural
□ PLANET: Mercury
□ MEANING: House
□ DOUBLE LETTER Life-Death
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Magus
of Power.
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Twelfth Path is the
Intelligence of Transparency because it is that species of
Magnificence called Chazchazit, which is named the place
whence issues the vision of those seeing in apparitions (That is
the prophesies by seers in a vision).
240 The Qabalistic Tarot
The Path of Beth is between Kether and Binah. It is the transition
between the One Pure Source of All, energy undefined, and the Great Organizer,
a relationship described by the meaning of the letter Beth, which is house. It is
the “dwelling place” of the Spirit descending toward the denseness of
manifestation. THE MAGICIAN symbolizes that which builds the house, i.e.
directs and encloses the One Spirit which is symbolized by THE FOOL. In this
regard it must be appreciated that to consider one card versus another at this
level of the Tree of Life is very different from a comparison of cards at the lower
levels. The differences between let us say, THE UNIVERSE and the Path of
JUDGEMENT are substantial, if not dramatic. But the higher one works up on
the Tree, the more such differences become extremely fluid and subtle. THE
FOOL and THE MAGICIAN are separated by only slight degree, a fact not
obvious in the anthropomorphized symbolism of the cards.
Scholars dedicated to unraveling the difficult cryptograms of the
Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) are quick to point out that Beth is the
first letter. The Book of Genesis begins “Bereshith,” ( ), commonly
translated as “In the beginning,” but intriguingly rendered by Fabre d’Olivet as
“At first, in principle .” 263 That which is symbolized by the letter Beth is the first
in creation, it is the beginning of the beginning. It is the First Principle, or First
Matter of the Alchemists, also called the Philosophic Mercury. But to create
beginning is to create end. Thus the opposites of life and death, key polarities of
creation, are attributed to the letter. The idea is implicit that without the
energies of THE MAGICIAN, there would be neither life nor death, neither
beginning nor end. THE MAGICIAN initiates this process, a cycle symbolized
by the infinity symbol (lemniscus) as well as the serpent which holds its tail in
its mouth (Uroboros). Both represent the closed circle of energy in the Universe,
begun by the number one (Beth) acting upon the zero (Aleph).
The relationship of Aleph (THE FOOL) and Beth (THE MAGICIAN) to
creation are discussed in a section of the Zohar which is one of the most
charming in all of esoteric literature. We are told that for two-thousand years
God had “contemplated” the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and
had “toyed with them .” 264 And when it came time for Him to create the
Universe, the letters presented themselves before him in reverse order (Tau to
Aleph), each asking that they be the first in creation. All were denied until Beth,
of whom God said: “Assuredly, with thee I will create the world, and thou shalt
form the beginning of the creation of the world .” 265 God then wondered why
Aleph had not appeared, and called for the letter, which explained: “Because I
saw all the other letters leaving Thy presence without any success. What, then,
could I achieve there? And further, since Thou hast already bestowed on the
letter Beth this great gift, it is not meet for the Supreme King to take away the
gift which he has made to his servant and to give it to another.” God’s response
was: “. . .although I will begin the creation of the world with Beth, thou wilt
remain the first of the letters. My unity shall not be expressed except through
thee, on thee shall be based all calculations and operations of the world, and
unity shall not be expressed save by the letter Aleph .” 266
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 241
It is fascinating to realize that the greatest mysteries of the Cosmos are
such that they are well expressed in the simplest, even most childlike of pictures
and words. Indeed, the relationship between THE FOOL and THE MAGICIAN
is so subtle and refined that our best hope of even approaching them rests in
meditation on spiritual text combined with the images of the Tarot cards. It is
impossible to speak directly of what either the texts or the cards represent. What
we try to do is to establish a circle of ideas, each idea giving a suggestion about
the nature of the inner truth.
One such idea associated with THE MAGICIAN is that the energies of
this card are at once active and passive. The mystery of THE MAGICIAN is
that it is both that which transmits and that which is transmitted. It is the Life
Force (The One) which becomes the Prima Materia in the act of transmission.
THE MAGICIAN is a channel through which the energy of THE FOOL
is organized and passes downward. The One Life Energy is directed by THE
MAGICIAN as the first step in the evolution of the Universe toward matter.
Thus is the Path called the Transparent Intelligence, for like Light through a
glass, energy passes through it from above. The process is especially well-
represented on the Waite card, where the Magician’s right arm is raised with the
wand pointed downward. This suggests power brought down in a purposeful,
willful, way. Moreover, Waite makes some very subtle reference to the activity of
all the Supemals here. The inner color of THE MAGICIAN’S robe is white,
meaning Kether. The outer robe is the red of Binah in Atziluth, andthe serpent-
belt is the blue of Chokmah in Atziluth. Waite’s inference is that the Prima
Materia results from the interaction of all of the Supernal Sephiroth. The God of
this Path, Mercury, is the “messenger of the Gods” (especially of his Father,
Zeus-Kether) meaning that he is not himself the Creator, only the bearer of its
will.
For all practical purposes Mercury (Roman), Hermes (Greek) and Thoth
(Egyptian) are the same deity, the amalgam of their qualities having become
particularly firm in modem esoteric literature. Of course, since Mercury is that
later of the Gods, his attributes depend on those of Hermes and Thoth.
Hermes was very early associated with words, for the simple reason that
a messenger must clearly state the cause of the one who sends him . 267 The same
meaning essentially applies to the association of words with Thoth who, as the
supposed inventor of hieroglyphs, developed that by which the message could
be recorded and transmiteed. The companion of Hermes, as discussed in dealing
with the WHEEL OF FORTUNE, was the dog-headed Ape, the Cynocephalus,
representing the words themselves, as well as the potential for misunder-
standing and deceit. It is in this latter sense that Crowley has included the
cynocephalus at the feet of his Magus.
The relationship of the Hermes energy to words is very profound.
Messages are carried by words, but it is also through words of power that the
Magician affects his will. Thus is word associated with cause and effect. Words
transmit ideas from person to person in the same way that THE MAGICIAN
transmits the idea of Self-Creation of the One from above.
242 The Qabalistic Tarot
A word is meant to be spoken (writing is the annotation of spoken
thought); it is a sound which carries idea. It is intelligence-laden vibration.
Word = vibration. So the idea of THE MAGICIAN is that it is the first vibration
through which the One Spirit begins the process of manifestation. It encloses
the Spirit and thus encompasses All that is.
This idea is conveyed by a diagram, in the Golden Dawn papers, relating
the Mercury symbol to all of the Sephiroth except Kether (Figure 32A). “The horns
Figure 32. Two ways of representing that which is encompassed by Mercury: A. The
Sephiroth on the planetary symbol; B. The Four Worlds on the Caduceus.
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 243
spring from Daath (Knowledge) which is not, properly speaking, a Sephira, but
rather a conjunction of Chokmah and Binah.” 268 And of course, since the days
of L6vi The whole Tarot has been called the Book of Thoth.
Pursuant to the idea of Mercury encompassing all Sephiroth except
Kether, there is a very interesting diagram showing Mercury on the caduceus
(Figure 32B). This is not at all inconsistent with the first symbol, which
distinguishes between the Creator above, and Creation below. The Four Worlds
here are not the Wand, they are that which is transmitted by the Wand of THE
MAGICIAN.
This interpretation of the caduceus and the planetary sign is not
common. Astrologers and iconographers usually analyze the Mercury symbol
as half-moon, circle and equal-armed cross. These symbolize the Moon, the Sun
and the balance of the Four Elements. The Sun and the Moon are the dual states
of the cosmos, here in their most refined expression. The Four Elements are first
seen, primordially, in Kether, where they are symbolized by the swirling
Gammadion or Swastica. These Elements, potential in The FOOL, are first
differentiated and directed by the MAGICIAN.
The MAGICIAN directs the forces of the nin* , letters first en-
countered in the God Name of Binah, tPn^K mrp (YHVH Elohim) at
the lower end of the Path of Beth. As it is succinctly expressed in the Golden
Dawn documents, the Primum Mobile (first motion) is acting through the
Philosophic Mercury on Satum-Binah, which is to say that the Supreme Spirit
is acting upon the Will to Form. This activity is involved with words, i.e,,
vibration, and recalls the idea that whosoever can pronounce the will
be Master of the Universe. In this sense “pronounce” means to willfully direct
the vibration. So what we have in THE MAGICIAN is the one who is, in fact,
able to pronounce the Divine Name. This brings us to a very complex idea which
is the essence of the Mysteries, an idea emphasized by Case in his Book of
Tokens. There he says that “all created wills are but reflections” of the will of
THE MAGICIAN. Most important Case points out that the individual must
allow this Primal will to act through himself:
My superior nature worketh through thee. . .
...Happy art thou if thou canst grasp this truth.
For then, understanding that not thy weak self,
By my all-knowing Mind,
Looketh out upon the world through thine eyes,
Shalt thou have faith to let me see.
Then shalt thou overcome the evil of thy senses
by devoting them wholly to my use. 269
This is an extremely difficult concept, and one which truly represents
the practical core of all religion, mysticism or magic. However the process may
be symbolically expressed, the inner direction of the Four Elements by the
Universal Magician, through us, is primary. Waite’s card, based on the then
secret Golden Dawn card, was the first to show the Magician with his wand
raised above the actual Elemental Weapons of modem Hermetic Qabalism. On
244 The Qabalistic Tarot
the table are the Wand for Fire ( ■> ), the Cup for Water ( n ), the Dagger for
Air ( 1 ) and the Pentacle for Earth ( n ); all are very generalized. Only in the
Golden Dawn version are the implements represented with complete ac-
curacy. 270
We have come a long way from the somewhat tentative symbolism of the
Marseilles deck. In that Tarot deck, the Magician stands at a table manipula-
ting implements germane to the performer-magician of the middle ages, whose
stock-in-trade was slight of hand and pleasant deception. Yet the double-ended
wand and the hat approximating the form of the infinity symbol suggest
something more, as does the very title of the card, Le Bateleur, meaning the
bearer of the wand.
The wand is, in fact, the only attribute of a Magician which has been
consistently represented from the ancient world to the present. It is that through
which power flows, and by which power is directed with the force of will. It is at
least interesting to see that Waite gave his Magician of 1910 the exact same
wand as that of the Marseilles deck of 1500. Thus did Waite affirm the symbolic
accuracy of the early instrument. Presumably, variations on THE MAGICIAN
over the years, represent the contemporary state of the “Magical Art.”
Judging from magical treatises contemporary with the earliest con-
ceivable appearance of the cards, there was no great proliferation of magical
instruments. In a work such as the Heptamaron of Pietro de Albano (1250-
1317) 271 it is clear that magic was an amplification of the priestly art, depending
largely on words for its invocations, banishings, and consecrations of talis-
mans. The impetus toward the instruments we find on the Golden Dawn card
probably begins in the eighteenth century, as is reflected by Barrett’s Magus of
1801. 272
Accepting that each version of THE MAGICIAN represents the point of
view of an age toward what is called “Magic,” the Crowley card is provocative.
In that version THE MAGICIAN no longer merely holds the wand, he is the
wand, a conceptual change of no small dimension. Crowley, thus, has
accurately represented what we earlier described as the Mystery of the
Magician, i.e., that it is at once that which transmits and that which is
transmitted. It is the messenger and the message.
There is also an important phallic symbolism in this wand of Hermes
which transmits power. Even in earliest times Hermes, the messenger of the
Gods, carried a staff. Originally it was decorated with white ribbons, later
mistaken for serpents (because he was the “Herald of Hades”) and turned into
what we know today as the Caduceus of Mercury. 273 This is seen on the breast of
the Golden Dawn Magician.
Time and Victorianism have softened the phallic implication of Hermes’
wand, originally very openly represented as Herms. These were upright slabs of
stone with a bust and a very large phallus curiously attached to the front of the
column. So in the ancient world, Hermes was revered as a God of Creation, the
aspect of THE MAGICIAN which Crowley stresses.
THE MAGICIAN seems to have been a very difficult card for Lady
Freida Harris to produce. Early versions show a central figure with multiple
The Major Arcana- on the Tree of Life 245
abstract arms, each holding some magical image. The quality of balance is
emphasized by the caduceus which rises in the center of the figure . 274 But in the
final version, The Magician, though centered on an abstract caduceus form, is
in a state of activity. The magicial instruments seem to float through space, as if
they were in constant motion, continuous creation, something ever changing.
Crowley says that, in fact: “No true image is possible at all, for, firstly,
all images are necessarily false as such; and, secondly, the motion being
perpetual, and its rate that of the limit, c, the rate of Light, any stasis
contradicts the idea of the card. . .” 275 For Crowley, THE MAGICIAN was the
Son and the Word, and “being the Word he is the law of reason or of necessity or
chance, which is the secret meaning of the Word, which is the essence of the
Word and the condition of its utterance .” 276
1 1 . THE PATH OF ALEPH
The Fool
The Zero Key
□ PATH COLOR: Bright Pale Yel-
low
□ RELATED SOUND: E-Natural
□ MEANING: Ox
□ MATERNAL LETTER: Air
□ ESOTERIC TITLE: The Spirit
of Aether.
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM: The Eleventh Path is the
Scintillating Intelligence, because it is the essence of that curtain
which is placed close to the order of the disposition, and this is a
special dignity given to it that it may be able to stand before the
Face of the Cause of Causes.
246 The Qabalistic Tarot
The Path of THE FOOL connects Kether, the Source of All, with
Chokmah, the first activity toward manifestation. Aleph is assigned to this
Path, the letter designated symbolic of absolute unity by the Zohar. As a word
(Aleph) means ox, which has been interpreted in a variety of ways.
Gareth Knight, for example, suggests that for the most earthy of beasts to be
applied at this exalted level of the Tree means that “the Spirit’s aim is rooted in
Earth .” 227 Paul Case essentially agreed, although his approach was more broad.
He called the ox a symbol of the motive power in agriculture, and equated
agriculture with civilization. Thus, he described the ox as the life-power,
creative energy and “the power at work in all forms of human adaptation and
modification of natural conditions .” 278 Crowley, on the other hand, concentrat-
ed on the letter’s shape, said to represent a plow-share: “thus,” he says “the
significance is primarily Phallic .” 279 Cynics may suggest that Crowley saw
phalluses everywhere he looked, despite the high philosophical tone of his
argument. Yet it is true that only by reference to sexuality do we come to the
slightest glimmer of understanding of the Universe.
THE FOOL demands multi-faceted and fluid interpretation. It is certain-
ly the most difficult and profound card of the entire Tarot deck. Emanating from
Kether, it borders on the source of the Cosmos, the Ain Soph, the Limitless Light
which is not. Thus, we recognize that whatever can be said about Kether can be
said about the subjective effect of its principles on the eleventh Path.
The eleventh Path is the Fiery or Scintillating Intelligence. It touches a
Limitless Light which is darkness to us, that Fiery Darkness which is at once
the Primum Mobile, the possibility of motion or vibration, and the First
Perception or Will of the One having the potential for activity. Here, again, we
return to the circuitous idea that the Primal Creative Energy of the Universe
acts upon itself to emanate the Cosmos. The most concrete way in which this
can be described is to say that from nothingness comes the potential for
thought. Then thought appears and emanates mind, the vessel which contains
thought. THE FOOL is the initial potential for that thought which transcends
reason.
Almost everyone has had the experience of feeling that they have
touched some special reality in sleep, a lesson which on waking seemed absurd
at best. We may recall a few words which, when translated from the sleeping to
the waking condition appear absolute nonsense. In fact, any idea which is
disconsonent with our waking reality is usually dismissed. Such ideas may be
dangerous and disruptive to our perceptions of self and environment, so we put
them aside. On the other hand, a great deal of the practical Great Work involves
the assimilation of concepts which contradict our mundane ideas of what is
“real,” and what is not.
Let it be clearly understood that THE FOOL, THE MAGICIAN and
THE HIGH PRIESTESS (Paths touching Kether) must be approached with a
certain good natured whimsy. As we realize that the experience of Kether means
the total annihilation of Self as we conceive it, we also see the irony of our
attempt to grasp such refined principles from an earthly perspective. We are, as
Dion Fortune once noted, little children attempting to spell God. However, once
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 247
we recognize the impossibility of approaching the highest levels of the Universe
directly, we are driven forcibly into the key principle of the Mysteries, As Above ,
so Below. We look into that which is “below” as a mirror reflection of that which
is “above.”
Every Key is, in fact, fourfold. And while THE FOOL is usually
discussed in terms of the Highest Spirit of Atziluth, it also appears in Briah,
Yetzirah and Assiah. Thus, somewhere in our basest and most comprehensible
existence, we will find a correlate to the upper activity of THE FOOL. The
process is a kind of spiritual detective work. We look deeply into Malkuth and
find Kether!
This is the essence of what Teillard de Chardin, the great modern
Catholic mystic, was describing. The Divine Spirit is all that we know: we live
within it, we breathe it, it is ourselves. Every thing is an expression of the
energy symbolized by THE FOOL, which is the beginning of all, as Aleph is the
beginning of the alphabet.
To Aleph, the first of the maternal letters, is attributed Air which, in this
sense means the Life-Breath. And while most people believe that the East places
more importance on the function of breath than does the West, that is only true
of exoteric religion. In Western esoteric techniques, as in the East, breath is
everything, both practically and philosophically. In terms of the Tree of Life
and Tarot, this may be expressed in another way. We described THE
MAGICIAN as relating to “words,” meaning vibratory patterns underlying
manifestation. It is the power of breath, however, which expels the sound. THE
FOOL activates THE MAGICIAN.
Crowley points out another way in which the attribution of Air may be
considered. He describes the nothingness which is air as a vacuum, a
fascinating concept when related to the Tarot number of THE FOOL, zero. The
zero is a vacuum of fertile nothingness; it is the Universal Egg of Spirit, the Egg
of Akasha. Mathematically, zero is the sum of plus one (male) minus one
(female). Thus the egg of the Cosmos is a fertilized ovum of undefined sexuality.
It is neither male nor female, but is the potential for both. THE FOOL is the
androgenous energy which differentiates into the dramatis personae of the
other twenty-one keys.
Unfortunately, the correct position of THE FOOL at the beginning of
the Keys, has been the subject of dispute. In some works it has been shown
placed in the irrational position of next to the last card, i.e., as the card of Shin,
letter of Maternal Fire. However, this placement appears to have been a
purposeful attempt to conceal the real mystery of THE FOOL from the profane.
Today the sequence of Keys described in the Golden Dawn Cipher Manuscripts
is generally accepted, as it was by the inventors of the three modem decks
illustrated here. THE FOOL belongs on the eleventh Path of Aleph, and
nowhere else.
It has been suggested that the key to the function and order of the
Cosmos is imbedded in Aleph as it interacts with Lamed. The Zohar, which
describes Aleph as absolute unity, provides equally interesting material on
Lamed. That letter is discussed as central to the word (Melekh)
248 The Qabalistic Tarot
meaning King. 280 This points to Tiphareth as the central, directing force of
Microprosopus, the “Lesser Countenance.” This is the King over existence as we
know it, its interaction of energies being symbolized by the letters Mem, Lamed,
Caph and by the corresponding Tarot cards, THE HANGED MAN (n),
JUSTICE ( b ) and the WHEEL OF FORTUNE ( D ).
THE HANGED MAN and the WHEEL OF FORTUNE are the
Stabilizing Activating and Stabilizing Formative extremes (see Figure 29) on
the Tree of Life between the Personality and the Higher Self. They are exact
opposites. THE HANGED MAN is the water of Universal consciousness, while
the WHEEL OF FORTUNE, Caph-Jupiter, means the very principle of
manifestation. Thus, Lamed may be said to effect the perfect balance between
the lower creative principle and the consciousness on which it acts. In this we
know that Lamed means ox goad, the pointed rod which spurs on the ox, i.e.,
Aleph.
Paul Case offers another explanation. He writes that the word
“represents the first outflow of spiritual influence ( N ), effecting a continual
equilibrium of forces in action ( b ) resulting in the positive expression of the
creative thought ( a ) of the Universal Mind.” 281
This is all very complicated indeed, and one can all too easily become
bogged down, if not actually deceived by the over-zealous manipulation of letter
and number symbols. What is clear, however, is that the sages who produced
Qabalistic documents such as the Pentateuch and the Zohar expected us to go
through this process. Thus, we must run the risk of dead-end reasoning in
attempting to understand the subtle meanings imbedded in the texts. Is it
stretching a point to suggest that implicit in the letters bn is all that is above
and below, viewing Aleph as the One, with Lamed as the central balancing
energy between the One and that which it projects?
At any event, these are sorts of ideas which, when applied to the Tarot
images, are likely to provide special insights. When we know the Qabalistic
implications of the letter Aleph and apply it to the image of THE FOOL, the
correspondence of picture and ideas triggers something unconscious in us. This
may be particularly the case with the Golden Dawn FOOL, one of the Order’s
most unusual contributions to Tarot art. The child is intended to be Harpo-
crates, which in the Egyptian (Heru-p-khart) literally means “Horus the
Child.” 282 Heru is also written Hru, known as the “Great Angel of the Tarot.”
There are a few Gods which incorporate so many diverse ideas as does
Harpocrates: He is the Child God; he is the God of Silence; he is the God of
beginnings, he is the God of the Sun at its dawning. He is also the son of Isis
and Osiris, although it is not yet in that capacity that he is shown on this Path.
He is their Child yet to be bom. He is all potential! He is the expression of the
very meaning of the God Name of Kether, il’MN (Eheieh) which is I will be. So
in the Golden Dawn card, the child is about to pluck the rose. In Waite’s card the
Fool is about to walk over a cliff. Waite describes his figure as stationary,
though it indicates the act of walking.
Because of the importance of Horus-Harpocrates to an understanding of
THE FOOL in the Golden Dawn tradition, we must briefly consider the origins
The Major Arcana on the Tree of Life 249
of his cult. The Child Horus developed from an earlier God, also known as
Horus. This earlier Horus (actually a group of God forms, as was the Child
Horus himself) was one of the first Gods to be worshipped generally across
Egypt. He was represented with the head of a hawk, suggesting that his nature
related to the greatest heights of the Heavens , 283 an idea which would place
Horus comfortably on the eleventh Path. But the attributes of the early Horus-
Gods were assumed in late dynastic times by the Child who represented the
beginning of all sequences, including the beginning of the day with the Sun. So
Horus was related to Ra, and is most easily placed in Tiphareth. And once more,
as in considering the , we find that we are moving between the eleventh
Path and the sixth Sephira. The correlations are as profound as they are obtuse.
One other interesting point about Horus is that he was traditionally
shown as a child with one lock of hair at the side, and a finger on his mouth as
an infantile gesture. This gesture was misunderstood by the Greeks to be a “sign
of silence,” and when the God was given the Greek name Harpocrates, silence
was a key attribute . 284 However such attributions may have happened, whether
by design or “accident” the symbolism fits remarkably. What could be more
perfect than THE FOOL as silence prior to THE MAGICIAN who has been
described as the first sound? Here one must believe that symbol systems can
evolve in accordance with truly universal archetypes . 285
THE FOOL is, in fact, an archetype, as is the companion animal
appearing in every version of the card. The Marseilles deck shows a brown dog
tearing a hole in his master’s pants leg; Waite represented a small white dog in
the same essential pose as the Marseilles dog, though following playfully;
Crowley’s version, with the tiger “fawning about ” 286 The Fool, is the most
curious. Finally, the Golden Dawn card shows a wolf on a leash being held by
the small child whom we have equated with Harpocrates.
All of these cards make a symbolic statement about the relationship of
the animal nature to the higher spiritual processes. It has also been suggested
that the small dog is the intellect, man’s faithful companion. The Golden Dawn
and Crowley cards, however, offer a more complicated explanation.
The wolf in the Golden Dawn card is perhaps the most explicit in its
symbolic statement, for from the earliest times the wolf has been considered a
destroyer. And in the context of the eleventh Path, it is like the Fenris wolf
which devoured Odin, Father of the Gods, what Manly Palmer Hall calls
“those mindless powers of nature that overthrew the primitive creation .” 287
The implication is that the Creator’s will to self expression holds in
check that counter-energy which would otherwise destroy creation as it
happened. Yet the wolf must eventually be unleashed, freed back into nature,
destroying creation and returning it to the state from which it originally
emerged, i.e., the Ain Soph Aur.
The child and wolf are the balance of creator-destroyer, and are the first
statement in the Tarot of the principle that every thing contains its opposite, the
real key to esoteric studies. The principle is especially important in relation to
THE FOOL, a card in which Waite says “Many symbols of the Instituted
Mysteries are summarized .” 288
250 The Qabalistic Tarot
Waite’s discussion of the symbolism in his own cards was very cryptic,
and it fell to Paul Case to explain the symbolic complexities woven into the
Rider deck. He explains the Wheels of Spirit on the Fool’s robe, the wand as a
symbol of will, the wallet with an Eye of Horus, the rose meaning freedom from
lower for ms of desire, and the girdle of twelve ornaments suggesting the
Zodiac. 289 On the other hand, it is possible that in his enthusiasm, Case may
describe more than Waite intended.
It is at least fortunate that Crowley, being a prolific writer, explained his
own deck in great detail. The discussion of his version of THE FOOL is
complicated and lengthy, drawing upon a variety of legends. To summarize,
these are:
1. The Green Man -the very personification of spring.
2. The “Great Fool” of the CeZts- this is the inspired madman who is
also a savior.
3. The “Rich Fisherman”: Percivale- Crowley calls the Parsifal legend
“the western form of the tradition of the Fool.” Parsifal repre-
sents the foolishness of youth and innocence which, through its
purity, achieves the Holy Grail.
4. The Crocodile -In ancient Egypt the crocodile symbolized the great-
est creative energy, for the rather paradoxical reason that it was
not believed to have the means of perpetuating its own species.
5. Harpocrates
6. Zeus Arrhenothelus— a deliberate confusion of masculine and femin-
ine; the Divine Hermaphrodite.
7. Dionysus Zagreus. Bacchus Diphues -Zagreus was a homed deity
tom apart by the Titans. His death symbolized initiation.
Bacchus Diphues (meaning double-natured) was a bi-sexual God
made mad by intoxication, and thus related to the idea of divine
ecstasy.
8. Bahomet— according to Crowley, this is a form of the Bull-slaying
God, Mithras, worshipped by the Knights Templar as an ass-
headed deity. He further associates Bahomet with Set, Saturn
and Satan.
Crowley has included some reference to all of these ideas in his card,
making it one of the most complicated in his deck. The horns on the male figure
are those of Dionysus Zagreus; his green clothing is that of the Green Man of
Spring; grapes at his feet refer to the ecstasy of Bacchus, the Crocodile is at his
feet swimming “in the Nile.” Other symbols included here are the dove of Venus
and the vulture of Maat, both referring to the Godhead. All of these images are
linked by the triple egg-shape created by the Caduceus in motion, and
symbolizing the Ain Soph Aur.
Finally, one must call attention to the fact that while Crowley
emphasizes Harpocrates on this Path, he represents that God most explicitly on
the twentieth Path, JUDGMENT (what he calls The Aeon). It is thus implied
that Shin-Fire is the fullest expression of that which began with Aleph-Air, and
then Mem- Water.
Practical Work
SKRYING
Skrying, meaning the projection of oneself into an inner vision, is actually very
simple. It involves nothing more than sitting quietly in front of a Tarot card (or
other stimulus), closing one’s eyes and stepping into that card in imagination.
The essential principle is that we create “day dreams,” allowing our minds to
flow within the given structure of a Tarot card. Soon most students discover
that what they experience could not possibly be of their own making. At very
least, most are astonished by the vitality and spontaneity of the images which
the Tarot cards evoke.
If we make no attempt to directly encounter these images and energies,
the whole system of Qabalah and Tarot is utterly useless. It is, as Lewis
Carroll’s Alice said, “only a pack of cards.” Qabalah, Christianity, Hinduism,
Buddhism, etc., all reduce to trivia if not applied. This means self-exploration in
meditative exercises with the cards, or whatever system we may choose. There
is no other way.
A great many people are apprehensive about such exercises. They fear
the unknown. But work with the Tarot is quite safe for the well balanced
personality. The truth is that meditative exercises are a great deal of work, and
may quickly become boring! There is little for most to fear, because we have all
sorts of protective mechanisms built into our systems. On the other hand, the
person who approaches these materials with a desire to escape from an
unpleasant earthly environment runs the risk of disassociation. This means
that the fantasy life intrudes on the normal waking consciousness, and it
becomes difficult to separate one from the other. It is an illusive feeling of
“floating,” of being unable to relate to solid things ordinary to our sensory
condition. But, again, we are filled with self-protective mechanisms. The person
252 The Qabalistic Tarot
for whom such exercises are not right will quickly give them up, either because
they prove dull, or because they prove uncomfortable. Thus, the student should
boldly attempt skrying; there is everything to gain. Our own Higher Selves will
protect us more than we understand. This is the principle of THE HANGED
MAN, that we are not the pursuer, but the pursued. We are also not the protector,
but the protected, and a great deal of what we do must be predicated on this
article of faith.
The following books are highly recommended for those who wish to
understand the skrying process:
The Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie. Attention should be devoted to the
Lesser Banishing Ritual 291 and to the sections on Tattva and
skrying.
The Art and Meaning of Magic by Israel Regardie. This is a collection of
essays by Regardie which is required reading for the serious
student of the Hermetic Qabalah.
The Inner Guide Meditation by Edward C. Steinbrecher. This book
applies Jung’s insights to Path-working. It is an extremely
valuable work, though somewhat marred by the author’s ego-
centricity.
Astral Projection, Magic and Alchemy, edited by Frances King. This is a
collection of important Golden Dawn essays first published in
1971. King’s introduction is, as is typical of his work, authorita-
tive and informative.
DIVINATION
It may come as a suprise to some to learn that the primary reason for
divination in the Great Work is not to learn the future. Rather, it is for the
development of psychic faculties. The more one uses the Tarot cards to find
answers to given questions, the more that person taps into unseen currents.
Those who have used the Tarot cards for years will attest to the fact that there
comes a point where the cards are not longer necessary to an accurate
divination. Answers to specific problems are simply “felt.”
Most people tend to consider psychism a natural talent, something with
which one is bom, and that is true. It is, however, possible to consciously
develop psychic abilities. To this end, it is necessary to test these growing
abilities fearlessly, by expressing feelings about situations and being willing to
be completely wrong! Yet the student of Tarot will find that his “guesses” are
increasingly correct, as his friends’ responses will corroborate.
Some may find that they develop a psychism which is particularly state-
dependent, i.e., they may be more sensitive when using alcohol or other drugs.
There are many different methods for using the Tarot cards as
divinatory devices, the most complex being that of the Golden Dawn (called by
some the “all day method”), as described in Regardie’s monumental Golden
Dawn and in An Introduction to the Golden Dawn Tarot by the author of this
Practical Work 253
present book. But one of the best methods is also the simplest, the Fifteen Card
Spread. This method is not so well known as the “Ancient Celtic,” ten-card
spread, but it has the advantage of depending upon neighboring cards, offering
an enormous number of possible card combinations, and being more fluid than
other methods.
Before any divination it is wise to invoke some Higher Force. In its
simplest form, this may involve visualizing a sphere of brilliant white light over
one’s head, and a prayer that the Divine Powers may guide the operation of the
cards.
Following this invocation, the cards should be thoroughly shuffled. This
is the most important step in a divination, and should be done with the mind as
clear as possible. All extraneous thoughts should be eliminated, and the mind
made completely passive. In the event that the divination is for a person not
present, it maybe helpful to visualize the person as the shuffling is taking place.
The cards will then be placed on a table in the following order:
14
INTERPRETA TION:
Card One: This represents the Querent, the problems surrounding him,
his present situation and primary influences. A Court Card (King, Queen,
Prince or Princess) in this position may mean either the Querent or some
dominant individual (see general Court Card descriptions in the following
section).
Cards Two and Three: These, in conjunction with card One, are the key
cards in the spread.They give extended information on the situation and
personality of the Querent.
Cards Four, Eight and Twelve (Upper right): These show the direction
that the Querent’s life will naturally follow, unless some action is taken to
change this course.
Cards Thirteen, Nine and Five (Upper left): These are the possibili-
ties for alternative action, which may be desirable or undesirable, depending on
the other cards in the spread.
Cards Fourteen, Ten and Six (Lower left): These cards will assist the
Querent in making whatever decision may be necessary. In the case of an older
254 The Qabalistic Tarot
person, one past middle age, they mean past activities which bear on the
question. In younger persons they indicate the future.
Cards Seven, Eleven, and Fifteen (Lower right): These show forces
operating beyond the control of the Querent, which cannot be changed, but to
which one can adapt.
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The Princes and Queens, when they appear in a reading, almost
invariably represent actual men and women connected with the subject at hand.
But the Kings sometimes represent either the coming on or going off of a matter:
arrival or departure, according to the way in which the cards face. The
Princesses may show opinions, thoughts or ideas, either in harmony with or
opposed to the subject.
A Majority of Wands: Energy, quarrelling, opposition.
A Majority of Cups: Pleasure and merriment.
A Majority of Swords: Trouble and sadness, sometimes sickness, even
death.
A Majority of Pentacles: Business, money, possessions, etc.
A Majority of Trumps: Forces of considerable strength, often Kar m ic
forces beyond the enquirer’s controls.
A Majority of Court Cards: Society, meeting with many persons.
A Majority of Aces: Strength, generally, as the Aces are always strong
cards.
OUTLINE OF DIVINATORY MEANINGS 292
(As taught by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn)
THE FOOL. Idea, thought, spirituality, that which endeavors to rise above the
material (That is, if the subject which is enquired about be spiritual). If
the Divination be regarding a material event of ordinary life, this card is
not good, and shows folly, stupidity, eccentricity and even mania, unless
with very good cards indeed. It is too ideal and unstable to be generally
good in material things.
THE MAGICIAN. Skill, wisdom, adaptation. Craft, cunning, etc., always
depending on neighboring cards. Sometimes occult wisdom.
THE HIGH PRIESTESS. Change, alteration, increase and decrease. Fluctua-
tion (whether for good or evil is shown by cards connected with it).
Compare with DEATH and THE MOON.
THE EMPRESS. Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, also luxury and
sometimes dissipation, but only if with very evil cards.
THE EMPEROR. War, conquest, victory, strife, ambition.
THE HIEROPHANT. Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching.
Differing from, though resembling in some respects, the meanings of
THE MAGICIAN, THE HERMIT and THE LOVERS. Occult wisdom.
THE LOVERS. Inspiration (passive and in some cases mediumistic, thus
differing from that of THE HIEROPHANT, THE MAGICIAN and
Practical Work 255
THE HERMIT). Motive power, and action, arising from Inspiration and
Impulse.
THE CHARIOT. Triumph, Victory, Health. Success, though sometimes not
stable or enduring.
STRENGTH. Courage, Strength, Fortitude. Power not arrested in the act of
Judgment, but passing on to further action. Sometimes obstinancy.
Compare with JUSTICE.
THE HERMIT. Wisdom sought for and obtained from above. Divine Inspiration
(but active, as opposed to that of THE LOVERS. In the mystical titles,
this with THE HIEROPHANT and THE MAGICIAN are the three
Magi.
WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Good fortune and happiness (within bounds), but
sometimes also a species of intoxication with success, if the neighboring
cards bear this out.
JUSTICE. Eternal Justice and Balance. Strength and Force, but arrested as in
the act of Judgment. Compare with STRENGTH. Also, in combination
with other cards, legal proceedings, a court of law, a trial at law, etc.
THE HANGED MAN. Enforced sacrificed. Punishment. Loss. Fatal and not
voluntary. Suffering generally.
DEATH. Time. Age, Transformation. Sometimes death destruction, but rarely
the latter, and only if it is borne out by the cards with it. Compare also
with also with THE HIGH PRIESTESS.
TEMPERANCE. Combination of Forces. Realization. Action (material). Effect
either for good or evil.
THE DEVIL. Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes
obsession, especially if associated with THE LOVERS.
THE TOWER. Ambition, fighting, war, courage. Compare with THE EM-
PEROR. In certain combinations, destruction danger, ruin, fall.
THE STAR. Hope, faith, unexpected help. But sometimes also, dreaminess,
deceived hope, etc.
THE MOON. Dissatisfaction, voluntary change (as opposed to DEATH). Error,
lying, falsity, deception (The whole according to whether the card is well
or ill-dignified, on which it much depends).
THE SUN. Glory, Gain, Riches. Sometimes also arrogance. Display. Vanity, but
only when with very evil cards.
JUDGMENT. Final decision. Judgment. Sentence. Determination of a matter
without appeal on its plane.
THE UNIVERSE. The matter itself, Synthesis. World. Kingdom. Usually
denotes the actual subject of the question, and therefore depends entirely
on the accompanying cards.
256 The Qabalistic Tarot
ACE OF WANDS. Force, strength, rush, vigor, energy. It governs according to
its natural various works and questions. It implies natural as opposed to
Invoked Force.
TWO OF WANDS. Influence over another. Dominion. Boldness, courage,
fierceness, shamelessness, revenge, resolution, generous, proud, sensi-
tive, ambitious, refined, restless, turbulent, sagacious withal, yet
unforgiving and obstinate according to dignity.
THREE OF WANDS. Pride and Arrogance. Power sometimes. Established force
strength. Realization of hope. Completion of labor, success of the
struggle. Pride, nobility, wealth, power, conceit.
FOUR OF WANDS. Settlement. Arrangement completed. Perfected work. A
completion of a thing built up with trouble and labor. Rest after labor.
Subtlety, cleverness, mirth, beauty, success in completion. Reasoning
faculty, conclusions drawn from previous knowledge. Unreadiness,
unreliable and unsteady, through over anxiety and hurriedness of
action. Graceful in manner.At times insincere.
FIVE OF WANDS. Strife. Quarrelling. Fighting. Violent strife and contest,
boldness and rashness, cruelty, violence, lust and desire, prodigality and
generosity, depending on whether well or ill-dignified.
SIX OF WANDS. Gain and Success. Victory after strife, success through energy
and industry, love, pleasure gained by labor, carefulness, sociability and
avoidance of strife, yet victory therein. Also insolence, pride of riches
and success, etc. The whole depending on dignity.
SEVEN OF WANDS. Opposition, sometimes courage therewith. Possible
victory, depending on the energy and courage exercised; valour,
opposition, obstacles, difficulties, yet courage to meet them, quarrelling,
ignorance, pretence, wrangling and threatening, also victory in small
and unimportant things, and influence over subordinate. Depending on
dignity as usual.
EIGHT OF WANDS. Swiftness. A hasty communication. Letter, message. Too
much force applied too suddenly. Very rapid rush, but too quickly passed
and expended. Violent but not lasting. Swiftness. Rapidity. Courage,
boldness, confidence, freedom, warfare. Violence, love of open air, field
sports, gardens, meadows. Generous, subtle, eloquent, yet somewhat
untrustworthy. Rapacious, insolent oppressive. Theft and robbery,
according to dignity.
NINE OF WANDS. Great strength. Power. Health. Recovery from sickness.
Tremendous and steady force that cannot be shaken. Herculean
strength, yet sometimes scientifically applied. Great success, but with
strife and energy. Victory preceded by apprehension and fear. Health
good, and recovery, yet doubt. Generous, questioning and curious, fond
of external appearances, intractable, obstinate.
Practical Work 257
TEN OF WANDS. Cruelty and malice towards others. Oppression. Overbearing
strength. Revenge. Injustice. Cruel and overbearing force and energy,
but applied only to selfish and material ends. Sometimes shows failure
in a matter, and the opposition too strong to be controlled arising from
the person’s too great selfishness at the beginning. Ill-will, levity, lying,
malice, slander, envy, obstinancy, swiftness in evil, if ill-dignified. Also
generosity, self-sacrifice, and disinterestedness when well-dignified.
PRINCESS OF WANDS. A young woman with gold or red hair and blue eyes.
Brilliance, courage, beauty, force, sudden in anger or love, desire of
power, enthusiasm, revenge. Ill-dignified, superficial, theatrical, cruel,
unstable, domineering.
PRINCE OF WANDS. A young man with yellow hair and blue or grey eyes.
Swift, strong, hasty, rather violent, yet just and generous, noble and
scorning meanness. If ill-dignified, cruel, intolerant, prejudiced and ill-
natured.
QUEEN OF WANDS. A woman with red or gold hair, blue or brown eyes. She is
steady and resolute, with great power to attract. Kind and generous
when not opposed. When ill-dignified, she is obstinate, revengeful,
domineering, tyrannical and apt to turn suddenly against another
without a cause.
KING OF WANDS. A blond or red-haired man with blue or hazel eyes. Active,
generous, fierce, sudden and impetutous. If ill-dignified he is evil-
minded, cruel, bigoted, brutal.
ACE OF CUPS. Fertility, productiveness. Beauty. Pleasure. Happiness.
TWO OF CUPS. Love. Marriage. Pleasure, Warm friendship. Harmony of
masculine and feminine united. Harmony, pleasure, mirth, subtlety,
sometimes folly, dissipation, waste and silly action, according to
dignity.
THREE OF CUPS. Plenty. Hospitality, eating, drinking. Pleasure, dancing,
new clothes and merriment. Abundance, plenty, success, pleasure,
sensuality, passive success, good luck and fortune. Love, gladness,
kindness and bounty. According to dignity.
FOUR OF CUPS. Receiving pleasure, but some slight discomfort and anxieties
therewith. Blended pleasure and success. Success and pleasure,
approaching their end. A stationary period in happiness which may or
may not continue. It does not show marriage and love so much as the
previous symbol. It is too passive a symbol to represent perfectly
complete happiness. Acquisition and contention; injustice sometimes.
Some drawbacks to pleasure implied.
FIVE OF CUPS. Disappointments in love, marriage broken off, unkindness
from friends (whether deserved or not is shown by the cards with it).
Loss of friendship. Death or end of pleasures. Disappointment. Sorrow
258 The Qabalistic Tarot
and loss in those things from which pleasure is expected. Sadness.
Deceit, treachery, ill-will, detraction, charity and kindness ill-requited.
All kinds of troubles from unexpected and unsuspected sources.
SIX OF CUPS. Beginning of wish, happiness, success, enjoyment. Commence-
ment of steady increase, gain and pleasure, but commencement only.
Also affront, defective knowledge, and in some instances, contention
and strife arising from unwarranted self-assertion and vanity. Some-
times thankless and presumptuous. Sometimes amiable and patient,
according to dignity.
SEVEN OF CUPS. Lying, deceipt, promises unfulfilled, illusion, deception.
Error, slight success, but not enough energy to retain it. Possible victory,
but neutralized by the supineness of the person. Illusionary success.
Deception in the moment of apparent victory. Lying error, promises
unfulfilled. Drunkenness, wrath, vanity, lust, fornication, violence
against women. Selfish dissipation. Deception in love and friendship.
Often success gained, but not followed up. Modified by dignity.
EIGHT OF CUPS. Success abandoned. Decline of interest in anything.
Temporary success, but without further result. Things thrown aside as
soon as gained. No lasting even in the matter at hand. Indolence in
success. Journeying from place to place. Misery and repining without
cause. Seeking after riches. Instability according to dignity.
NINE OF CUPS. Complete success. Pleasure and happiness. Wishes fulfilled.
Complete and perfect realization of pleasure and happiness almost per-
fect. Self-praise, vanity, conceit, much talking of self, yet kind and
loveable, and may be self-denying therewith. Highminded, not easily
satisfied with small and limited ideas. Apt to be maligned through too
much self-assumption. A good, generous, but maybe foolish nature.
TEN OF CUPS. Matters definitely arranged and settled as wished. Permanent
and lasting success, happiness because inspired from above. Not
sensual as Nine of Cups, “The Lord of Material Happiness,” yet almost
more truly happy. Pleasure, dissipation, debauchery. Pity, quietness,
peace-making. Kindness, generosity, wantonness, waste, etc., according
to dignity.
PRINCESS OF CUPS. A young woman with brown hair and blue or brown
eyes. Sweetness, poetry, gentleness and kindness. Imagination, dreamy,
at times indolent, yet courageous if roused. Ill-dignified she is selfish
and luxurious.
PRINCE OF CUPS. A young man with brown hair, grey or brown eyes. He is
subtle, violent, crafty and artistic. A fierce nature with a calm exterior.
Powerful for good or evil, but more attracted by the evil, if allied with
apparent Power or Wisdom. If ill-dignified, he is intensely evil and
merciless.
Practical Work 259
QUEEN OF CUPS. A woman with gold-brown hair and blue eyes. She is
imaginative, poetic, kind, yet not willing to take much trouble for
another. Coquettish, good-natured, underneath a dreamy appearance.
Imagination stronger than feeling. Very much affected by other influ-
ences, and therefore more dependent upon good or ill-dignify than most
other symbols.
KING OF CUPS. A man with fair hair and blue eyes. Graceful, poetic,
Venusian, indolent, but enthusiastic if roused. Ill-dignified he is sensual,
idle, and untruthful.
ACE OF SWORDS. Invoked as contrasted with natural Force; for it is the
invocation of the Sword. Raised upward, it invokes the Divine Crown of
Spiritual Brightness. But reversed it is the invocation of demoniac force,
and becomes a fearfully evil symbol. It represents therefore very great
power for good or evil, but invoked. Also it represents whirling force and
strength through trouble. It is the affimation of justice, upholding
Divine authority; it may become the Sword of Wrath, Punishment and
affliction.
TWO OF SWORDS. Quarrel made up and arranged. Peace restored, yet some
tension in relationships. Action sometimes selfish and sometimes
unselfish. Contradictory characteristics in the same nature. Strength
through suffering. Pleasure after pain. Sacrifice and trouble, yet
strength arising therefrom. Peace restored, truth, arrangement of
differences. Justice, Truth and untruth. Sorrow and sympathy for those
in trouble, aid to the weak and oppressed, unselfishness. Also an
inclination to repetition of affronts if once pardoned, of asking questions
of little moment, want of tact, often doing injury when meaning well.
Talkative.
THREE OF SWORDS. Unhappiness, sorrow, tears. Disruption, interruption,
separation, quarrelling, sowing of discord and strife, mischief-making,
sorrow, tears, yet mirth in evil pleasures, singing, faithfulness in
promises, honesty in money transactions, selfish and dissipated, yet
sometimes generous, deceitful in words and repetition. The whole thing
according to dignity.
FOUR OF SWORDS. Convalescence, recovery from sickness, change for the
better. Rest from sorrow, yet after and through it. Peace from and after
War. Relaxation of anxiety. Quietness, rest, ease and plenty, yet after
struggle. Goods of this life abundance. Modified by the dignity as in the
other cases.
FIVE OF SWORDS. Defeat, loss, malice, spite, slander, evil-speaking. Contest
finished, and decided against the person, failure, defeat, anxiety,
trouble, poverty, avarice, grieving after pain, laborious, unresting, loss
and vileness of nature. Malicious, slandering, lying, spiteful and
talebearing. A busy-body and separator of friends, hating to see peace
260 The Qabalistic Tarot
and love between others. Cruel yet cowardly, thankless and unreliable.
Clever and quick in thought and speech. Feelings of pity easily roused
but unendurable. As dignity.
SIX OF SWORDS. Labor, work. Journey, probably over water. Success after
anciety and trouble. Selfishness, beauty, conceit, but sometimes modes-
ty therewith. Dominion, patience, labor, etc., according to dignty.
SEVEN OF SWORDS. In character untrustworthy, vacillation. Unstable effort.
Journey, probably over land. Partial success, yielding when victory is
within grasp, as if the last reserves of strength were used up. Inclination
to lose when on the point of gaining through not continuing the effort.
Love of abundance, fascinated by display, given to compliment, affronts
and insolences, and to detect and spy on another. Inclined to betray
confidences, not always intentional. Rather vacillating and unreliable,
according to dignity as usual.
EIGHT OF SWORDS: Narrow or restricted. Shortened Force. Petty. A Prison.
Too much force applied to small things, too much attention to detail, at
expense of principal and more important points. Ill-dignified, these
qualities produce malice, pettiness, and domineering qualities. Patience
in detail of study, great ease in some things, counterbalanced by equal
disorder in others. Impulse, equally fond of giving or receiving money, or
presents. Generous, clever, acute, selfish, and without strong feeling of
affection. Admires wisdom, yet applies it to small and unworthy objects.
NINE OF SWORDS. Illness. Suffering, Malice. Cruelty, Pain. Despair, cruelty,
pitilessness, malice, suffering, want, loss, misery. Burden, oppression,
labor, subtlety and craft, lying, dishonesty, etc., according to dignity.
TEN OF SWORDS. Ruin. Death. Failure. Disaster. (Almost a worse symbol
than the Nine of Swords). Undisciplined warring force, complete
disruption and failure. Ruin of all plans and projects. Disdain, insolence
and impertinence, yet mirth and jolly therewith. Loving to overthrow the
happiness of others, a repeater of things, given to much unprofitable
speech, and of many words, yet clever, acute and eloquent, etc.,
depending on dignity.
PRINCESS OF SWORDS. A young woman with light brown hair and blue eyes.
Wisdom, strength, acuteness, subtleness in material things, grace and
dexterity. Ill-dignified, she is frivolous and cunning.
PRINCE OF SWORDS. A young man with dark hair and dark eyes. Full of
ideas and thoughts and designs, distrustful, suspicious, firm in friend-
ship and enmity, careful, slow, over-cautious. Symbolizes Alpha and
Omega, the Giver of Death, who slays as fast as he creates. Ill-dignified;
harsh, malicious, plotting, obstinate, yet hesitating and unreliable.
QUEEN OF SWORDS. A graceful woman of grey hair and light-brown eyes.
Intensely perceptive, keen observation, subtle, quick, confident, often
Practical Work 261
perserveringly accurate in superficial things, graceful, fond of dancing
and balancing. Ill-dignified: cruel, sly, deceitful, unreliable, though with
a good exterior.
KING OF SWORDS. A man with dark brown hair and dark eyes. He is active,
clever, subtle, fierce, delicate, courageous, skillful, but inclined to domi-
neer. Also to overvalue small things unless well-dignified. Ill-dignified,
deceitful, tyrannical and crafty.
ACE OF PENTACLES. Material gain, labor, power, wealth, etc. It represents
materiality in all senses, good and evil, and is therefore in a sense
illusory.
TWO OF PENTACLES: Pleasant change. Visit to friends. The harmony of
change. Alternation of gain and loss, weakness and strength, ever
varying occupation, wandering, discontented with any fixed condition
of things; now elated, now melancholy, industrious, yet unreliable,
fortunate through prudence of management yet sometimes unaccount-
ably foolish. Alternatively talkative and suspicious. Kind yet wavering
and inconsistent. Fortunate in journeying. Argumentative.
THREE OF PENTACLES. Business, paid employement. Commercial trans-
actions. Working and constructive force, building up, erection, creation,
realization, and increase of material things, gain in commercial
transactions, rank, increase in substance, influence, cleverness in
business, selfishness, commencement of matter to be established later.
Narrow and prejudiced, keen in matter of gain. Modified by dignity.
Sometimes given to seeking after the impossible.
FOUR OF PENTAC LE S. Gain of money and influence. A present. Assured
material gain, success, rank, dominion, earthly power completed by
leading to nothing beyond. Prejudiced, covetous, suspicious, careful
and orderly, but discontented. Little enterprise or originality. Altered by
dignity as usual.
FIVE OF PENTACLES. Loss of profession. Loss of money. Monetary anxiety.
Loss of money or position. Trouble about material things. Toil, labor,
land cultivation, building, knowledge and acuteness of earthly things,
poverty, carefulness. Kindness, sometimes money regained after severe
toil and labor. Unimaginative, harsh, stem, determined and obstinate.
SIX OF PENTACLES. Success in material things. Prosperity in business.
Success and gain in material undertakings, power, influence, rank,
nobility, rule over people. Fortunate, successful, just and liberal. If ill-
dignified may be purse-proud, insolent from success or prodigal.
SEVEN OF PENTACLES. Unprofitable speculation and employment. Little
gain for much labor. Promises of success unfulfilled. Loss of apparently
promising fortune. Hopes deceived and crushed. Disappointment. Mise-
ry, slavery, necessity and baseness. A cultivator of land, and yet is loser
262 The Qabalistic Tarot
thereby. Sometimes it denotes slight and isolated gains with no fruits
resulting therefrom, and of no further account, though seeming to
promise well. Honorable work undertaken for the love of it, and without
desire of reward. According to dignity.
EIGHT OF PENACLES. Skill, prudence, cunning. Over-careful in small things
at the expense of the great. “Penny-wise and pound foolish.” Gain of
ready money in small sums. Mean, avariciousness. Industrious, cultiva-
tion of land, hoarding, lacking in enterprise.
NINE OF PENTACLES. Inheritance. Much increase of money. Complete
realization of material gain, inheritance, covetousness, treasuring of
goods and sometimes theft and knavery. All according to dignity.
TEN OF PENTACLES. Riches and wealth. Completion of material gain and
fortune, but nothing beyond. As it were, at the very pinnacle of success.
Old age, slothfulness, great wealth, yet sometimes loss in part, and later
heaviness, dullness of mind, yet clever and prosperous in money
transactions.
PRINCESS OF PENTACLES. A young woman with rich-brown, or red-brown
hair, and dark eyes. She is generous, kind, diligent, benevolent, careful,
courageous, perservering. If ill-dignified she is wasteful and prodigal.
PRINCE OF PENTACLES. A young man with dark brown hair and dark eyes.
Increase of matter, increase of good and evil, solidifies, practically
amplifies things, steady, reliable. If ill-dignified, animal, material,
stupid. In either slow to anger, but furious if roused.
QUEEN OF PENTACLES. A woman with dark hair and dark eyes. She is
impetuous, kind, timid, rather charming, great-hearted, intelligent, me-
lancholy, truthful, yet of many moods. Ill-dignified, she is undecided,
capricious, foolish, changeable.
KING OF PENTACLES. A man with dark eyes and dark hair. Unless very well
dignified he is heavy, dull, and material. Laborious, clever and patient
in material matters. If ill-dignified he is avaricious, grasping, dull,
jealous, not very courageous, unless assisted by other symbols.
Reference
Colors on the Tree of Life (from 777)
YETZIRAH BRIAH
ASSIAH
White, flecked gold
White, flecked red, blue, and
yellow
Grey, flecked pink
Deep azure, flecked yellow
Red, flecked black
Gold amber
Olive, flecked gold
Yellowish brown, flecked white
Citrine, flecked azure
Black rayed with yellow
Emerald, flecked gold
Indigo, rayed violet
Silver, rayed sky blue
Bright rose or cerise, rayed
pale green
Glowing red
Rich brown
Reddish grey inclined to mauve
Dark greenish brown
Reddish amber
Plum colour
Bright blue, rayed yellow
Pale green
White, flecked purple, like
mother-of-pearl
Livid indigo brown (like a
black beetle)
Dark vivid blue
Cold dark grey, approaching
black
Bright red, rayed azure or
emerald
White, tinged purple
Stone colour
Amber, rayed red
Vermilion, flecked crimson and
emerald
Black, rayed blue
White brilliance
Blue pearl grey, like mother-
of-pearl
Dark brown
Deep purple
Bright scarlet
Rich salmon
Bright yellow green
Red-russet
Very dark purple
As Queen Scale, but flecked
with gold
Blue emerald green
Grey
Cold pale blue
Early spring green
Brilliant flame
Deep warm olive
New yellow leather
Rich bright russet
Grey
Green grey
Rich purple
Deep blue-green
Deep olive-green
Very dark brown
Green
Blue black
Venetian red
Bluish mauve
Light translucent pinkish
brown
Rich amber
Scarlet, flecked gold
Blue black
White brilliance
Grey
Black
Blue
Scarlet red . . —
Yellow (gold)
Emerald
Orange
Violet
Citrine, olive, russet, and
black
Sky blue
Purple
Silver
Sky blue
Red
Deep indigo
Pale mauve
Maroon
Deep purple
Slate grey
Blue
Blue
Sea green
Dull brown
Yellow
Black
Red
Sky blue
Buff, flecked silver-white.
Gold yellow
Vermilion
Black
ATZILUTH
Brilliance 1
Pure soft blue 2
Crimson 3
Deep violet 4
Orange 5
Clear pink rose 6
Amber 7
Violet purple 8
Indigo 9
Yellow 10
Bright pale yellow 11
Yellow 12
Blue 13
Emerald green 14
Scarlet 15
Red orange 16
Orange 17
Amber 18
Yellow, greenish 19
Green, yellowish 20
Violet 21
Emerald green 22
Deep blue 23
Green blue 24
Blue 25
Indigo 26
Scarlet 27
Violet 28
Crimson (ultra violet) — 29
Orange 30
Glowing orange scarlet . . 31
Indigo 32
264 The Qabalistic Tarot
Every student should paint a Tree of Life. The diagram used for
meditation and ritual work has the Sephiroth in the colors of Briah and the
Paths in the colors of Atziluth. The preparation of a painting of all four worlds
(one above the other) is also recommended. Work is best done on a smooth
wooden panel, prepared with gesso. The diagrams should be painted in either
oil or artist’s acrylic.
Notes on color. The best possible background color for the Tree is
metallic gold. This is available in acrylic.
Confusion may exist about some of the colors of Malkuth in Yetzirah
and Briah, i.e., citrine, olive, russet and black. The first three are the colors of
Hod, Tiphareth and Netzach tinged with the Purple of Yesod. Citrine (Yellow +
small amount of violet) is at the top; Olive (Emerald Green + violet) is at the
right; Russet (Orange + violet) is at the left; black is at the base.
Colors and Sounds on the Tree of Life
The following color-sound correspondences are taken from the Golden
Dawn notebook of Alan Bennett, teacher of both Fortune and Crowley. These
correspondences were elaborated upon by Paul Case who developed a system of
healing and of invocation still taught by the BOTA.
PATH
COLOR
SOUND
TAROT KEY
0
Aleph
Bright pale yellow
E
FOOL
1
Beth
Yellow
E
MAGICIAN
2
Gimel
Blue
G #
HIGH PRIESTESS
3
Daleth
Emerald Green
F#
EMPRESS
4
Heh
Scarlet
C
EMPEROR
5
Vau
Red-Orange
c#
HIEROPHANT
6
Zain
Orange
D
LOVERS
7
Cheth
Amber
D#
CHARIOT
8
Teth
Yellow, Greenish
E#
STRENGTH
9
Yod
Green, Yellowish
F
HERMIT
10
Kaph
Violet
A#
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
11
Lamed
Emerald Green
F#
JUSTICE
12
Mem
Deep Blue
G#
HANGED MAN
13
Nun
Green Blue
G
DEATH
14
Samekh
Blue
G#
TEMPERANCE
15
Ayin
Indigo
A
DEVIL
16
Peh
Scarlet
C
TOWER
17
Tzaddi
Violet
A#
STAR
18
Qoph
Crimson
B
MOON
19
Resh
Orange
D
SUN
20
Shin
Glowing Orange-scarlet
C
JUDGMENT
21
Tau
Indigo
A
UNIVERSE
Reference 265
HEBREW NAMES OF THE ANGELS OF THE DECANS
(FROM 777)
Pairs of Angels ruling
Wands
Pairs of Angels ruling
Cups
Pairs of Angels ruling
Swords
Pairs of Angels ruling
Coins
• • Wn n'un
• fon3D
• -i>N33i> men
- nwin rveoy
■ -Santa n'03»
■ . $>xnn n'Dpn
• . n'irp n'nnS
. . han fi'DiD
• • iT1K$> fobs
• • H'pID ^RTID
• • -mm
. • rpn$> rvi’nB
• • bx'ix n'oyn
• .n'H30 ^K'3D
• -i>Ni3'D nnsh?
• • 5>N"'
. . ^aym
• . n'DDj
. n'jj'no
- -Wtao n'inn
• $>xnnn Vjo'o
. ^mn ^x-rco
. .Tnn: ivxxn
. . n'^ii n'ni>'
■ .taaoi Sunn'
. n'KDtt ^nna
• t>xrvv rvnse'
. . iri’KD buna
. . 5>ai:y ^x'no
. • n'-^x Sx'n
• • 5>K"3 $>XD1X
. . foiTB
• -n'3DT ^Np30
• • n'is*> n’jfnn
THE DIVINE NAMES ATTRIBUTED TO THE SEPHIROTH
No. of
Sephirah
Divine Name
(Atziluth)
Archangelic Name
(Briah)
Choir of Angels
(Yetsirah)
1. Kether
Eheieh
Metatron
Chayoth ha-Qadesh
iTHK
incoD
tsnpn nvn
2. Chokmah
Yah
Raziel
Auphanim
rp
PN'n
D'JBIK
3. Binah
Yhvh Elohim
Tzaphqiel
Aralim
□vrtK mrp
PN'pax
mPx-ix
4. Chesed
El
Tzadqiel
Chashmalim
^'PIX
D'l’Dtyn
5. Geburah
Elohim Gibor
Kamael
Seraphim
313: O^N
7ND3
D'Bntr
6. Tiphareth
Yhvh Eloah Vedaath
Raphael
Melekim
njni m^x mrp
5KB3
D’Ol’D
7. Netzach
Yhvh Tzabaoth
Haniel
Elohim
mx3S mrp
I’K'iKn
DVtfN
8. Hod
Elohim Tzabaoth
Michael
Beni Elohim
m«3S O’Trt’K
I’KD'D
crfix ':3
9. Yesod
Shaddai El Chai
Gabriel
Kerubim
vftK 'iff
D'3133
10. Malkuth
Adonai ha-Aretz
Sandalphon
Ashim
p«n ':ik
ps^-uD
266 The Qabalistic Tarot
Thirty Two Paths of Wisdom
SEPHIROTH
1 Kether
The Admirable or Hidden Intelligence
2 Binah
The Illuminating Intelligence
3 Chokmah
The Sanctifying Intelligence
4 Chesed
The Measuring, Cohesive or Receptacular Intelligence
5 Geburah
The Radical Intelligence
6 Tiphareth
The Intelligence of the Mediating Influence
7 Netzach
The Occult Intelligence
8 Hod
The Absolute or Perfect Intelligence
9 Yesod
The Pure Intelligence
10 Malkuth
The Resplendant Intelligence
PATHS
11 Aleph
The Scintillating Intelligence
12 Beth
The Intelligence of Transparency
13 Gimel
The Uniting Intelligence
14 Daleth
The Illuminating Intelligence
15 Heh
The Constituting Intelligence
16 Vau
The Triumphal or Eternal Intelligence
17 Zain
The Disposing Intelligence
18 Cheth
The House of Influence
19 Teth
The Intelligence of all the Activities of the Spiritual Beings
20 Yod
The Intelligence of Will
21 Kaph
The Intelligence of Conciliation
22 Lamed
The Faithful Intelligence
23 Mem
The Stable Intelligence
24 Num
The Imaginative Intelligence
25 Samekh
The Intelligence of Probation
26 Ayin
The Renovating Intelligence
27 Peh
The Exciting Intelligence
28 Tzaddi
The Natural Intelligence
29 Qoph
The Corporeal Intelligence
30 Resh
The Collecting Intelligence
31 Shin
The Perpetual Intelligence
32 Tau
The Administrative Intelligence
Notes
1. Gareth Knight, Experiences of the Inner Worlds, England, 1975, iv.
2. Richard Cavendish, The Tarot, New York 1975, 9. This is the best work
yet to appear on the history of Tarot.
3. Louis R6au, L’Art Chretien, Paris 1955, v.I, 163.
4. As is discussed in the section on THE HIGH PRIESTESS, Waite
disagrees with this idea, saying that the Female Pope actually relates to
the cult of Astarte.
5. The Kyhalion, Chicago, 1940, 24 ff. The authors of this work, subtitled “A
Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece,” are
unknown. They have signed themselves only as “Three Initiates.”
6. Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn, Chicago, 1940, v.IV, 176.
7. Eliphas L6vi, Transcendental Magic, London, 1958,3.
8. C.G. Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, New York, 1968, 101.
9. Israel Regardie, The Middle Pillar, Chicago, 1945; also by Regardie,
Foundations of Practical Magic, England, 1979.
10. It is for this reason that, until the present time, all practical works on the
occult contained some purposeful errors.
11. Aleister Crowley, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, New York 1969,
923. This work is modestly subtitled “An Autohagiography.”
12. Ellic Howe, The Magicians of the Golden Dawn, London 1972, 1-25.
13. Regardie discusses some of his own experiences, as well as his opinions of
the Order of the Golden Dawn in My Rosicrucian Adventure, Minnesota,
1971.
14. Ella Young, Flowering Dusk, New York, 1945, 107.
15. A. E. Waite, Shadows of Life and Thought, London, 1938, 184-5.
16. A. Quiller, Jr. (Crowley), “Dead Weight,” The Equinox, v.I, No.X, 211.
17. Unpublished lecture, addressed to the “Tomorrow Club,” in 1945, by
Lady Harris.
268 The Qabalistic Tarot
18. Harris, ibid.
19. Regardie, Golden Dawn, v. IV, 137. “Book T” is also reprinted in An
Introduction to the Golden Dawn Tarot by Robert Wang, New York, 1978.
20. Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah, New York, 1974, 5.
21. Rabbi Solomon Ganzfried, Code of Jewish Law, New York, 1963, 51.
22. It is also likely that some scholarly purists consider the diagram an
unacceptable later development.
23. S.L. MacGregor Mathers, translation of Knorr von Rosenroth’s The
Kabbalah Unveiled, London, 1957, 5-6. See also Christian D. Ginsburg,
The Kabbalah, London 1925, 84.
24. Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, New York 1977,
25. Scholem, Major Trends, 44.
26. Scholem, Kabbalah, 46.
27. Phineas Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals According to the
Sepher Yetzirah. New York, 1975, first published in the Jewish Quarterly
Review, new series for April 1912, v.ll, and for April 1913, v.lll.
28. See: Sepher Yetzirah, translation by Wynn Westcott including The Thirty
Two Paths of Wisdom (1877), New York 1975. Westcott was one of the
founders of the Golden Dawn, and it is his translation that is most
generally used even today because it is consistent with Golden Dawn
principles; Sepher Yetzirah, translation by Isodor Kalisch (1877, first
English translation), California, 1954; The Sepher Yetzirah, translation
and extensive commentary by Carlo Saures, Boulder 1976. The Saures
work is ponderous at best; The Book of Formation (Sepher Yetzirah),
translation and commentary by Knut Stenrung (1923), New York, 1970.
While Stenrung’s translation is generally competent, it is unnecessarily
involved and includes a number of nineteenth century misconceptions
about the document; Book of Creation, translation of the Sepher Yetzirah
by Irving Friedman, New York, 1977. This is one of the best translations
yet to appear, and is particularly valuable for its notes on language.
29. Scholem, Kabbalah, 23.
30. Scholem, Kabbalah, 23.
31. Scholem, Kabbalah, 23.
32. The Bahir, translation by Aryeh Kaplan, New York, 1979. This first
English translation of the text includes the original Hebrew. Kaplan
disagrees with Scholem (who also translated this work into a European
language), in insisting that this work is of the 1st century B.C.
33. Scholem, Kabbalah, 45-47.
34. Scholem, Kabbalah, 55.
35. Scholem, Kabbalah, 57.
36. Scholem, Kabbalah, 190.
37. The Zohar, translation by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon, New York
1973. While this well-bound edition, published by Soncino Press, is the
best-known, the exact same text is also published by Rebecca Bennett
Publications, in a less expensive and somewhat reduced size.
Notes 269
38. The Kabbalah Unveiled, Mathers translation. See note 23.
39. Scholem, Kabbalah, 240.
40. Frances A. Yates, Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, Chicago,
1964, 12.
41. Yates, Giordano Bruno, 17.
42. Scholem, Kabbalah, 197.
43. Readers interested in Agrippa are referred to Agrippa and the Crisis of
Renaissance Thought by Charles G. Nauert, Jr., Illinois, 1965. This
excellent doctoral dissertation has become a standard in its field.
44. Frances A. Yates, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age, Lon-
don, 1979, 21.
45. Yates, Giordano Bruno, 400.
46. Yates, Giordano Bruno, 402.
47. See “A Note on Dr. Dee and his Occult Researches,” an appendix to the
1974 Portmeirion facsimile edition of Dee’s A True and Faithful Relation
of 1659; see also the introduction by Diane di Prima to The Hieroglyphic
Monad, New York, 1975, an English translation of the Latin work
issued in London in 1564. The preface to the original edition of A True and
Faithful Relation was written by Meric Casaubon, whose father had
studied the Hermetic fragments. The standard work on John Dee, a highly
readable book, is John Dee, by Peter J. French, London, 1972.
48. Frances A. Yates, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, London 1972, 50.
49. “The Fame and confession of the Fraternity of the Rosie Cross,”
translation by Thomas Vaughan (1652), A Christian Rosencreutz An-
thology, edited by Paul Allen, New York, 1968, 163.
50. Rudolph Steiner, “The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz,”
Rosencreutz Anthology, 19.
51. Yates, Rosicrucian Enlightenment, 50.
52. Yates, Rosicrucian Enlightenment, 77.
53. See note 12.
54. Paul Foster Case, The Book of Tokens, California, 1947, vii.
55. Israel Regardie, Golden Dawn, v. II, 216.
56. Westcott wrote on the Rosicrucians, but he was not much of a scholar. The
best work comes from Waite: The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross, New
York, 1961.
57. The Chaldean Oracles, Edited and revised by Sapere Aude (Westcott’s
Order name), New Jersey 1978, xiii.
58. See: E.R. Dodds, “New Light on the Chaldean Oracles,” Harvard
Theological Review, LIV 1961, 263.
59. Refer to books cited in note 9.
60. Paul Case, The Tree of Life, Lesson 4, Figure 4 (no page no.). Page
references to Case’s study course are generally to the original versions,
printed 5%X8%. Today the BOTA distributes the courses in 8%X11, and
has added copyright notices.
61. Aleister Crowley, 777, London 1955, xxvii.
62. Ben Shahn, Love and Joy about Letters, New York 1963, 5.
270 The Qabalistic Tarot
63. This, and all comments on the Sephiroth printed in italics preceding the
text in this chapter are from the Golden Dawn “Knowledge Lectures,”
Regardie, “Concerning the Tree of Life,” The Golden Dawn, v. 1, 191-98.
64. P.D. Ouspensky, Tertium Organum, New York 1927.
65. Dion Fortune, The Mystical Qabalah, London 1951, 299. Dion Fortune
was a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn, but broke with Mrs.
Mathers to form her own group, The Society of the Inner Light. The
Mystical Qabalah remains the standard against which all books on the
Hermetic Qabalah are judged. The Society established by Fortune has,
however, turned toward Christian Qabalism of a sort that Fortune
would undoubtedly have disapproved.
66. Regardie, The Golden Dawn, v. IV. All quotations preceding the Court
Cards and the Minor cards are from ‘Book T.’ See note 19.
67. This Lamen is illustrated in full color in The Secret Temple by Robert
Wang, New York 1980.
68. ‘Book T’, Golden Dawn, v. IV, 143.
69. Manly Palmer Hall, An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic,
Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, California, 1957,
LXXXV.
70. Waite says that his use of the Lion’s head above the Caduceus of Hermes
is a “variant of a sign which is found in a few old examples of this card.”
Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, New York 1959, 222.
71. Manly Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, LIV.
72. Manly Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, LXXXIX. See also T.H. White,
The Bestiary, New York 1960, 125.
73. White, The Bestiary, 37-40.
74. Aleister Crowley, The Book of Thoth, New York 1974, 196. This book was
originally published as part of Crowley’s magazine series, The Equinox,
v. Ill, No. V.
75. Manly Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, CXXXII.
76. Manly Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, LXXXIX.
77. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 161.
78. This is an idea with which Regardie disagrees strongly. He views the
concept of such “Masters” as having come from the Besant-Leadbeater
School, and has stated that this idea “is the way of gross deception.”
Fortune, however, devotes considerable attention to the masters which
she assigns to Chesed. Mystical Qabalah, 166-167.
79. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 213.
80. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 191.
81. Matthew 8:13.
82. Claudius Ptolemy, The Centriloquy, or Hundred Aphorisms, printed as an
appendix to Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos; California 1976, 153.
83. Matthew 8:13.
84. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 206.
85. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 215.
86. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 167.
Notes 271
87. Karl Baron Von Reichenbach, Researches on Magnetism, Electricity,
Heat, Light, Crystallization and Chemical Attraction in their relations to
The Vital Force, New York 1974.
88. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 216.
89. Manly Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, LXXXVIII.
90. Manly Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, XXXII. The idea that seamen
consider the Swan good luck is mentioned by T.H. White, Bestiary, 119.
91. N.G.L. Hammond and H.H. Scullard, Editors, The Oxford Classical
Dictonary, Oxford 1978, 472.
92. Quotations here are from the Westcott translation of the Sepher Yetzirah.
93. Scholem, Kabbalah, 23-26.
94. Knight, Experience of the Inner Worlds, 146-161.
95. Aleister Crowley , “The Temple of Solomon the King, “ Equinox , v.I, No.
V, 72. Our example is taken from Crowley’s quotation from Westcott’s
Introduction to the Study of the Qabalah.
96. Fortune, Mystical Qabalah, 43 ff.
97. Refer also, on each card to “Notes on the Tarot,” by Mathers, Golden
Dawn, v. 1, 141-143 with the “unofficial” discussion of the Tarot Keys, v.
IV. (‘Book T’), 209. This article, entitled “The Tarot Trumps,” is signed by
“Q.L.,” meaning “Quaero Lucem” the Stella Matutina name taken by
Mrs. Felkin. She obviously lacked the profound understanding of the
Tarot of either Mathers or Crowley, but these descriptions have some
utility. They are, surprisingly, the only discussion of the Golden Dawn
Trumps. Mathers confined his explanation to those few cards used in the
early rituals.
98. This is reproduced opposite the title page to Scholem’s Kabbalah.
99. The “Magical Images of the Sephiroth” are given in 777, Col. CXX, 25.
100. Revelation 4:3. The rainbow as a symbol of God’s covenant with Noah
appears in Genesis 9:17.
101. This is an obscure panel which in 1904 Crowley discovered in the Boulak
Museum, an institution now closed, but the collection of which has been
taken over by the Cairo Museum. The Stele, representing Horus, was of
special importance to Crowley, and related to his writing of the Book of
the Law. This is described in Confessions, 395.
102. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 116.
103. Manly Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, CLXI facing.
104. Paul Case, Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, 16, 4.
105. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 113.
106. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 114. It is anyone’s guess how he arrived at this
date!
107. Regardie, Golden Dawn, v. II, 110.
108. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 111-112.
109. E.A. Wallis Budge, The Gods of the Egyptians, v II, 1969, 379-382. This
work is important because it was the standard work on Egyptology at the
time the three decks related to the Golden Dawn were produced. It has
even been suggested that Budge may have been a member of the Golden
272 The Qabalistic Tarot
Dawn, and had his own secret group within the walls of the British
Museum, but this seems unlikely.
110. Regardie, Golden Dawn, v. II, 130.
111. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 112.
112. Budge, Gods of the Egyptians, v. II, 379-382.
113. These manuscripts have never been published, and are in a private
collection.
114. Case, Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, Lesson 16, 1.
115. Manly Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, CXXXII.
116. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 112.
117. “Artemis,” Oxford Classical Dictionary, 126-27; see also “Artemis,”
Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, New York, 1960, 129-32.
118. Budge, Gods of the Egyptians, v. ii, 264.
119. This idea appears to have originated with the German poet, Conrad of
Wurzburg, who observed that both the lobster and Christ were more
beautiful after death. R6au, L’Art Chretien, v. I, 88.
120. Case, Tarot Fundamentals, 37.
121. Regardie, Golden Dawn, v. II, 135.
122. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 110.
123. Zohar, Nurho de Manhar translation, San Diego, 1978, 62. The Sperling
and Simon translation of this passage reads: “Why is this first gate called
‘the fear of the Lord’? Because it is the tree of good and evil. If a man
deserves well it is good, and if he deserves ill it is evil. Hence in that place
abides fear, which is the gateway to all that is good. ‘Good’ and
‘understanding’ are two gates which are as one.’ R. Jose said: ‘The term
“A good understanding” alludes to the Tree of Life which is the
knowledge of good without evil.’ ” Zohar, trans. Sperling and Simon, v. I,
125. Case, Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, Lesson 15, 5.
126. Case, ibid.
127. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 109.
1 28. These ideas are also related to the Midnight Sun which, to the Alchemists,
represented the Light coming out of Darkness.
129. “Mars,” Oxford Classical Dictionary, 651.
130. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 108.
131. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 109.
132. Zohar, Sperling and Simon, v. I, 97.
133. Aleister Crowley, The Magical Diaries of Aleister Crowley, edited by
Stephan Skinner, New York, 1979, 37.
134. “Circumcision,” Dictionary of the Bible, edited by James Hastings, New
York, 1963, 163.
135. Leviticus, 19.23f.
136. Genesis, 7.11.
137. Case, An Introduction to Tarot, Lesson 8, 5.
138. L6vi uses the term “Great Magical Agent” interchangeably with the term
“Astral Light.” Transcendental Magic, London, 1958, passim.
139. Oxford Classical Dictionary, 876.
140. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 105.
Notes 273
141. A work of particular interest is The Sacred Fire: The Story of Sex in
Religion by B.Z. Goldberg, New York 1958.
142. Gareth Knight, A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism, Toddington,
1965. v. II, 69.
143. Crowley, 777, 40.
144. Hariette and Homer Curtis, The Voice of Isis, Washington, D.C., 1946,
Introduction.
145. Paul Foster Case, The Tarot, New York, 1947, 147.
146. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 102-103.
147. Francis King, Sexuality .Magic and Perversion, New Jersey, 1972, 98.
Some Members of the O.T.O. disclaim King’s work, particularly his Secret
Rituals of the O.T.O. , New York, 1973. It is said that he never had access
to official O.T.O. documents, and that there are errors in these books. On
the other hand, King is a very persuasive and competent scholar, whose
work is not lightly dismissed.
Pursuant to the claims of efficacy for these sexual techniques, it will be
observed that Crowley apparently never made much money in this way.
148. Case, Tarot Fundamentals, 30.7.
149. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 100, note 1.
150. C.G. Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, New Jersey, 1977.
151. Gareth Knight, A History of White Magic, London 1978, 3-4.
152. Walter Lowrie, Art in the Early Church, New York, 1947, 74.
153. Saint John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul, 119.
154. Refer to note 9.
155. This is mentioned by Cavandish in The Tarot, 106.
156. Waite, Pictorial Key, 116.
157. C.G. Jung, Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, New Jersey, 1977,
21 .
158. Saint John of the Cross, Dark Night, 34.
159. Jung, Archetypes, 22.
160. Crowley, Confessions, 452.
161. Crowley, Confessions, 452.
162. Crowley, Confessions, 840.
163. Crowley, Confessions, 249.
164. Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, 261.
165. James G. Frazer, The Golden Bough, New York 1958, 413.
166. Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, 141-43; Oxford Classical Diction-
ary, v. IV, 260ff.
167. The Enochian Tablets are described at length in Regardie’s Golden
Dawn, v. IV, 260ff.
168. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 98.
169. Gareth Knight, Practical Guide, v. II, 116.
170. In the exercise of the Middle Pillar, they are visualized at the right and
left shoulders.
171. Case Introduction to Tarot, Lesson 6,6; Tarot Fundamentals, Lesson 25,
Iff.
172. Budge, Gods of the Egyptians, v. I, 417.
274 The Qabalistic Tarot
173. Crowley, 777, 40.
174. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 87.
175. Eliphas L6vi, The Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum, translated and
edited by W.Wynn Westcott, New York, 1973, illustration facing page 40.
176. L6vi, Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum, 39-40.
177. “Sphinx,” Oxford Classical Dictionary, 1009.
178. Unpublished Enochian papers of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Here, again, it is necessary to distinguish the historical reality from that
which is entirely valid symbolism. Mathers seems to have invented more
than one of the “Egyptian Mysteries,” though he has done so using sound
metaphysical principles.
179. This idea is also expressed in the Enochian papers.
180. Ezekiel, 1.4-28.
181. The Middle Ages defined the reasons for the attribution of the animals:
Matthew is the Man (symbol of Air in the Qabalah) because he wrote
about the most human qualities of Christ; Mark is the Bull (symbol of
Earth) because he wrote about Christ as a beast of burden, carrying the
weight of mankind; Luke is the Lion (symbol of Fire) because he described
the passionate side of Christ and John is the Eagle (symbol of Water)
because he wrote of Christ in a mystical way, soaring above all heads.
182. Goffredo Rosati, “Symbolism and Allegory,” Encyclopedia of World Art,
New York 1959-68, 815-16.
183. Budge, Gods of the Egyptians, v. I, 20-21.
184. John, 1.1.
185. Budge, Gods of the Egyptians, v. II, 295.
186. “Typhon, Typhoeus, Oxford Classical Dictionary, 1101; Larousse Ency-
clopedia of Mythology, 166, 195; Budge, Gods of the Egyptians, v. II, 246.
187. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 91.
188. “The Myth of the Going-Forth” as seen by Gnosticism, is discussed by
G.R.S. Mead. Fragments of a Faith Forgotten, New York, I960, 186-87.
189. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 89.
190. Case, Book of Tokens, 83.
191. Zohar, Nuhro de Manhar translation, 303. This passage is not found in
the Sperling and Simon translation.
192. St. Jerome was one of the “Fathers of the Church,” and the translator of
the Vulgate, latin version of the Old and New Testaments. Because of the
lion legend, the cat became known as the traditional pet of the scholar.
See R6au, L’Art Chr&tien, v. Ill, 740-50, also Jameson, Sacred and
Legendary Art, London 1891, V.I, 285-300.
193. Case, Book of Tokens, 91-92.
194. Note 9.
195. Case, Tarot Fundamentals, 20.8.
196. Revelation, 4.5.
197. Crowley, Equinox, v.I, No. 5, 89.
198. Waite, Pictorial Key, 96.
199. Ezekiel, Iff.
Notes 275
200. Carl Jung made some extremely interesting observations on the vision of
Ezekiel and the Chariot, particularly as related to Egyptian thought, in
his essay “The Tetrasomia,” Alchemical Studies, New Jersey 1976, 278-
83.
201. Scholem, Major Trends, 44.
202. Scholem, Major Trends, 46-47.
203. L6vi, Ritual of Transcendental Magic, 338.
204. Case, Book of Tokens, 83.
205. Case, Book of Tokens, 87.
206. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 84-85.
207. The fact that this is the only reference to Teutonic mythology in the deck
makes the attribution somewhat problematical. What we are calling
“Odin” may, in fact represent an error resulting from the cards having
been hand-copied over a period of years. Perhaps this figure had a moon
helmet of some sort. Nevertheless, the helmet shown in the Golden Dawn
deck, as published, is precisely as it appears in Regardie’s hand-painted
deck.
208. Case, Tarot Interpretation, 7.
209. Robert Graves, The Greek Myths, New York, 1957, 156: “The Sun’s
subordination to the Moon, until Apollo usurped Helios’ place and made
an intellectual deity of him, is a remarkable feature of early Greek myth.”
210. Case, Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, Lesson 10, 1.
211. Case, Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, Lesson 10, 2.
212. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 92.
213. “Andromeda,” Oxford Classical Dictionary, 63-64.
214. C.A. Burland, The Arts of the Alchemists, New York, 1967.
215. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 84.
216. “The Vision and the Voice,” subtitled “The Cry of the Second Aether
which is called ARN” Equinox, v. I, No. 5, supplement, 148. This
supplement was published as a separate book, The Vision and the Voice,
Dallas, 1972, with extensive notes by Crowley as well as introductory
comments by Israel Regardie.
217. “Vision and the Voice,” Equinox, 149.
218. Crowley, The Vision and the Voice, note 3, 225.
219. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 80.
220. See: Allen, ed. Christian Rosencreutz Anthology; Yates, Rosicrucian
Enlightenment.
221. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 88.
222. Case, The Tarot, 79.
223. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 91.
224. Arthur A. Tilley, “The Renaissance in Europe,” Cambridge Medieval
History, Cambridge, 1969, 790, 791.
225. Henry Cornelius Agrippa, The Philosophy of Natural Magic, New Jersey
1974, 33.
226. See forward to work cited above by Leslie Shepherd.
227. Rudolph Koch, The Book of Signs, London 1930, 16.
276 The Qabalistic Tarot
228. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 79-80.
229. Case, Book of Tokens, 67.
230. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 79.
231. Cavendish, The Tarot, 85.
232. Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, New York, 1979.
233. G.R.S. Mead, Fragments of a Faith Forgotten, New York 1960, 307. Mead
was one of the modem pioneers in the study of Gnosticism and while his
work has been largely superceded by scholars such as Pagels, his insights
remain instructive.
234. Forward to work cited above, by Kenneth Rexroth, xviii.
235. Case, Tarot Fundamentals, Lesson 11, 2-3.
236. Jung, Archetypes, passim.
237. In his text, THE EMPEROR remains on the fifteenth Path, but is
assigned the letter Tzaddi. THE STAR remains on the twenty-eighth
Path, but is Heh. Yet on his Tree of Life diagram, Thoth Tarot, 268, called
“The Tarot-General Attribution,” THE STAR is actually shown on the
fifteenth Path, and THE EMPEROR on the twenty-eighth. It will also be
seen that in 777, Columns H and XTV, Crowley uses the standard
attributions. One might suggest that Crowley decided late in life that
these cards should be transposed, but remained uncertain about the Path
placement. The curious discrepancy between the position of the cards in
the text of the Thoth Tarot, and on the Tree of Life, suggests that he was
at least considering switching the cards as well as the Hebrew letters. The
original art of the cards shows THE EMPEROR as IV and Tzaddi, and
THE STAR as XVII and Heh.
238. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 78.
239. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 77.
240. Frazer, Golden Bough, 403.
241. Larousse Encylopedia of Mythology, 214.
242. Graves, Greek Myths, 49.
243. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 77.
244. Graves, Greek Myths, 49.
245. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 75.
246. Regardie, Golden Dawn, v. I, 153.
247. Gareth Knight, Practical Guide, v. II, 145-50.
248. The camel can go long distances without water. This may be taken at one
level, to mean a long experience without the reward of contact with the
intelligence for which we search on this Path.
249. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 73.
250. Case, Book of Tokens, 37.
251. Graves, Greek Myths, 124, 348. See also “Hecate,” Oxford Classical
Dictionary, 490, which discusses the confusions surrounding Selene, and
points out that no cult of the Moon existed in ancient Greece.
252. Graves, Greek Myths, 85.
253. Graves, ibid.
254. C.G. Jung, Symbols of Transformation, New Jersey, 1976, 323.
Notes 277
255. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 74. The A.A., meaning ‘Astrum Argentum,’ or
“Silver Star,” was the Order founded by Crowley, in 1907, on essentially
Golden Dawn principles. In 1909 he began to publish The Equinox as the
official organ of the A. A. Crowley had apparently joined the O.T.O (“Ordo
Templi Orientis”) in 1905. This latter, intended as a continuation of the
Knights Templar, was founded in 1904. The story of both organizations,
and of the Golden Dawn and other such fraternities, is told by Francis
King in The Rites of Modern Occult Magic, New York 1971.
256. Case, Tarot Fundamentals, Lesson 8, 10-11.
257. Waite, Pictorial Key, 76.
258. Case, The Tarot, 52.
259. Waite, Pictorial Key, IQ.
260. Manley Palmer Hall, Encyclopedic Outline, XCV.
261. Cavendish, The Tarot, 71.
262. Waite comments on this card in his Shadows of Life and Thought, 188-89:
“It is to be noted that though Venetian, Florentine and French packs
differ somewhat clearly, of course betwen narrow limits, Pope Joan has
never been termed the Abbess in any, nor can I recall her being so
depicted that such a denomination could apply and thus include the
design among ecclesiastical estates in Christendom. She comes therefore,
as I have intimated, from another region and another order of things. . .
Pope Joan represents not improbably a vestige of the Astarte cultus. I do
not pretend to be satisfied with the explanation. . .only one point emerges
in all certainty: whatever the card may have stood for originally, it was
not the mythical Female Pope, an ascription which arose as a leap in the
dark of ignorance on the part of people - whether in France or Italy - who
knew the Pope Joan Legend but had never heard of Astarte and much less
of Isis.”
263. Fabre d’Olivet, The Hebraic Tongue Restored, part II, 25. His original
translation reads: “ Preincrement, en principe.”
264. Zohar, Simon and Sperling trans., v. I, 9.
265. Zohar, Simon and Sperling trans., v. I, 12.
266. Zohar, Simon and Sperling trans., v. I, 13.
267. “Hermes,” Oxford Classical Dictionary, 502-3.
268. Regardie, Golden Dawn, v. I, 138.
269. Case, Book of Tokens, 23-24.
270. See: Wang, Secret Temple, passim.
271. Peter de Albano, Heptameron. This treatise is section III of Fourth Book
of Occult Philosophy, by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, London 1978, 73ff.
272. Francis Barrett, The Magus, London 1801. The 1967 reprint of this work
contrains an admirable introduction by Timothy d’Arch Smith.
273. Graves, Greek Myths, 66.
274. Exhibition of Occult and Alchemical Designs for the Cards of the Tarot of
the Egyptians, undated, but probably 1944.
275. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 72.
276. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 70.
278 The Qabalistic Tarot
277. Knight, Practical Guide, v. II, 204.
278. Case, The Tarot, 29.
279. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 53.
280. Zohar, Simon and Sperling trans., v. I, 11.
281. Case, Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, Lesson 7, 1.
282. Budge, The Gods of the Egyptians, v. I, 469.
283. Budge, The Gods of the Egyptians, v. I, 78, 145.
284. Goblet D’Alviella, The Migration of Symbols, Wellingborough, 1979. Carl
Jung’s work, which some may find antiseptic and dispassionate. Yet the
inner process of encountering these archetypes was overwhelming as
Jung explains in personal terms, in his autobiographical Memories,
Dreams, Reflections, New York 1973.
286. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 69.
287. Manley Palmer Yie\\, Encyclopedic Outline, XCII.
288. Waite, Pictorial Key, 153.
289. Case, The Tarot, 29ff.
290. Crowley, Book of Thoth, 53-68.
291. Regardie, Golden Dawn, I, 106.
292. These meanings are extracted from several sections of Regardie’s Golden
Dawn. The language is that of MacGregor Mathers.
Index
A
A.A., Crowley Order, 238
Abyss, 77, 158
Aces, 56-60
Adam and Eve, 217
Adam Kadmon, 34, 54
Adeptus Major, 84, 86
Adeptus Minor, 11, 17, 28, 86
Agape, 184
Age of Aquarius, 226
Agrippa, Henry Cornelius, 24, 221-222
Ahura-Mazda, 237
Aima Elohim, Isis as, 148
Ain Soph Aur, 39
Air (Maternal), Aleph, 245, 247
Akasha, 247
Akashic Fluid, 109, 175
Akashic Record, 110
Albano, Pietro de, 244
Aleph-Lamed, relationship, 193, 247
Alpha and Omega, 146, 194
Altar of the Mysteries, Double-Cube, 76, 117
Amrita or Elixir, 181
anabolism-catabolism, 79
Anael, Ruler of Astral Light, 153
Ancient Bearded King seen in profile, 229
Ancient of Days, 229
Anger, Samekh, 176, 179
anima, virgin anima, 238
Anima Mundi, 190
animus, 228
Ankh Cross, 194, 229
Anubis, 161, 193, 200
Aphrodite, 232-233
Aphophis, dragon which is accuser, 200
Apollo, 64, 157, 215, 237
Apron, 105
Aquarius, 67, 87, 93, 96, 102, 131, 162
Aralim, 212
Archangels, 49-50, 60, 147, 168
Arel, Ruler of Latent Heat, 153
Aries, 48, 63-64, 71, 74, 80, 97, 121, 131, 176, 211,
228, 229
Arikh Anpin, 34
Armor, 218
Artemis, 161, 237;
The Hanged One, 237
Astral current, fluctuation of tides, 177
Astral, deceptive plane, 147
Astral Fluid, 187
Astral Light, 108-111, 156, 175, 185
Astral Light, reversal of, 174
Astral Projection, 99
Astral Triangle, 32
Auphanim, 212
B
Bacchus Diphues, 250
Bahir, Sepher ha, 22, 31
Bahomet, 250
Banishing Rituals, 28
Barrett, Francis, 244
Beast of Revelation, 60
hep 999
Beetle of the Sun, 162
Bennett, Alan, 12, 188
Bhagauad Gita, 56, 169, 214
Binah, Understanding, 69-71
Blavatsky, 27
Blood of the Red Lion, 181
Body, as Temple of the Holy Spirit, 115
Book of the Law, 153, 165, 193
Book of Thoth, 104, 243
Book of Tokens, xvi, 208, 212, 224, 243
Book 'T,' 15-17, 26, 189
BOTA, Builders of the Adytum, xv, xvi, 26,
216, 229, 238;
Vault, 26
280 The Qabalistic Tarot
Bourbon, Stephen de, 239
Bride of Microprosopus, 55, 117, 121
Buddha, 4, 91, 174, 201, 203, 237
Budge, Wallis, 200
bull, 68, 214; Sacred white, 224
Butler, W.E., xvi
c
Caduceus, 242, (Fig. 32) 245, 250
Cain, slays Abel, 219
Camel, Gimel, 234-236
Cancer, 64, 67, 72, 75, 81, 95, 131, 157, 159, 210-
213
Capricorn, 65, 73, 76, 83, 96, 131, 172
Case, xv, xvi, 3, 26, 27, 37, 148, 150, 155, 160,
163-164, 169, 173, 179, 182, 208, 211-
212, 216, 235, 238, 243, 246, 248
Causaubon, 25
Cavendish, Richard, 224
Cerberus, three-headed dog-guardian of hell,
204
Chansons de Gestes, 2
chaos, 232
chain, 85
chakras, 129, 178, 208
Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster, 43
Chariot, 210-212, 214, See: Merkabah
Charioteer, as Supreme Spiritual Self, 214
Chardin, Teillard de, 247
Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz,
26, 171, 219
Cheops, 197
Chiah, 36
Chokmah, Wisdom, 60-63; EMPRESS as low-
er, 235
Christ, 4, 82, 91, 110, 170, 174, 190, 201-203;
and lobster, 161;
resurrection of, 161;
as Fish, 184;
Pantocrator, 204;
entry into Jerusalem, 238
Chronos, 70-71
circumcision, as covenant, 171
cloth of honor, 194
color scales, 39
Coleridge, 184
Collins, Carr, 14
Components of the Self: Spiritual, Higher and
Personality, 141, 142 (Fig. 29)
Confessio Fraternitas, 26
Contrasexual component, 227
com, symbol of Isis-Ceres, 69
Cosmic Dancer, 148, 196, 208
Cosmic Eye, third eye of inner vision, 170
Court cards on Tree of Life, 46 (Fig. 12)
covenant, 217
crab, 67
crayfish, 159, 161;
symbol of Moon retrograde, 75
creative imagination, 184, 233
Crook of Bishop, pastoral shepherd, 80
crocodile, 250
crown, 54, 168, 170-171, 204
cross, of calvary, 91;
above triangle, 188, 190;
triple, of the western peoples, 222
crucible of the Alchemists, 150, 156
crucifixion, 189; in space, 189
cryptogram, book of Genesis as, 61
cube, 91
Cube of Space, 91, 131-135, 214
Cupid, 219
curcurbite or retort, 181
Cynocephalus, companion of Thoth, 104, 199,
241
Cypher Manuscripts, 11, 27, 160, 247
cypress trees, sacred to Venus, 233
D
Daath, Knowledge, 45, 77
Daniel, 207
darkness, 206, 208, 211;
at noon, 185
Dark Night of the Soul, 139, 177, 185, 188,
235
Dark Sterile Mother, 73
David, 173; descendants of, 209
Death, Nun, 181-186;
as the Black Knight, 185
Decans, subdivisions of the zodiac, 47-48, 49
(Fig. 14)
Dee, John, 25, 27
Demeter, 72
Demeter-Persephone, 153
Demiurge, Lesser Creator, 78, 199-201, 203, 225
desert-abyss, 235
desire nature, 182-185
DEVIL, Ayin, 172
Devil, as master of form, 173
Devotional Path, 105
Dhyana, 188
Diana, 71, 110, 122, 160;
Diana- Artemis, 237;
the Huntress as Sagittarius, 177
Diogenes, 202
Dionysus Zagreus, 250
divine frenzy, 208
divine rage, 179
Dis, Roman God of dead, 169
discrimination, virtue of Malkuth, 147
dissolution, process of Alchemy, 144, 200
as analysis, 175
dissociation, in meditative exercises, 251
divination, 252-254
divisions of the Soul, 36
dog, of Artemis and moon, 160-161;
on FOOL card, 249;
as symbol of intellect, 249
dolphin, 64, 121
door, Daleth, 230
Dorjes, Tibetan thunderbolt, 63
dove, 169;
of Venus, 58, 250
E
eagle, 184, 219, 234;
claws, 175;
symbol of Water, 96;
two-headed, 229
Edomites, 171
Egg of Spirit, Akasha, 247
Index 281
eights, 106-108
Einstein, 164
Elements, 148;
forms of, 42 (Fig. 10), 43;
cardinal, fixed and mutable on Tree of
Life, 133 (Fig. 23)
Elemental Fire Wand, 96
Elemental Kings, 91, 95
Elemental Paths, 150
Elemental Weapons, 243
Eleusian Mysteries, 238
Enochian Chess, 25
Enochian magic, 25
Enochian Tablets, 99, 190
Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, 79,
100, 174
EMPEROR, Heh, 225-229
EMPRESS, Daleth, 230-234
Equal-armed cross, 117
Equinox, Crowley magazine, 14, 135, 219
Etheric body, 109
ethical preparation, need for according to
Case, 182
Ethical Triangle, 32
Eucharist, 184
Evangelists, 198;
symbols of, 95
Eve, 219
evil, unbalanced force, 55;
positive and negative, 55
evocation, as distinct from invocation, 117
Exaltation, Alchemical, 213
ex cathedra, pronouncement by Pope, 222
Experience of the Inner Worlds, xvii
eye, Ayin, 172, 174
Eye of Horus, 250
Ezekiel, 198, 211, 213
F
Fall, 115
Fama Fraternitas, 26, 28, 219
Female Pope, 2
fence, Cheth, 210, 212
fertility-solitude, Resh, 154
fish, 64, 182-184;
Nun, 181-184
fish-hook, Tzaddi, 162, 163, 184
First Earth, 204
First Matter, 184, 236, 238, 240;
O.T.O. sexual symbolism of, 181
First Principle, 187, 240
fist, Caph, 195-196
Fives, 85-88
Flaming Sword, Path of, 127, 128 (Fig. 20)
Fleur de Lys, 229
Fludd, Robert, 26, 31, 57
FOOL, Aleph, 245-250
Form and Force, patterns on the Tree of Life,
140, 141 (Fig. 28)
Fortune, Dion, 55, 80, 84, 208;
Society of the Inner Light, 58
Fours, 80-83
Four Rivers of Paradise, 236
Four Worlds, 39, 40 (Fig. 9);
color scales of, 40
Fractio Panes, 184
frenzy, Divine, 208
G
Garden of Eden, 110, 165-166, 210, 216-217, 228,
236
Garden of The EMPRESS, 236
Gate of Heaven, 230
Gebelin, Court de, 186
Geburah, Strength, 83;
Sword of, 97
Gematria, 22, 135-136, 209, 235
Gemini, 68, 75, 107, 112, 119, 131, 157, 180, 211,
215-216
girdle, 101
Gnomes, 116
Gnosticism, 224
Gnostic Mysteries, Valentinian, 225
goat, 176
God of Armies, 169
Graal, Holy, 214, 219
grace-indignation, Peh, 166
Grand Old Man of the Zohar, 34
Great Fool of the Celts, 250
Great Magical Agent, 175
Great Sea, 70, 75, 110, 164
group mind, 99
Gunas, 200
H
Hall, Manly Palmer, 249
hand, Yod, 201
HANGED MAN, 186-190
Harlequin, as partner of Fool, 194
Harpocrates, 248, 250;
as god of Silence, 248, see: Horus
Harris, Lady Freida, 15, 244
head, back of, Qoph, 158
head, Resh, 154, 155
hearing, Vau, 220, 222
Hebrew alphabet, table of values and mean-
ings, 136;
based on Yod, 44
Hecate, 71, 110, 161, 237
Hecate-Selene, “Far shooting Moon” aspect of
Artemis, 237
Helios, 215
Heptamaron, 244
Hermanubis, 199, 200
hermaphrodite, Hod as, 105
hermaphroditism, 219
Hermes, 104, 241, 244;
Thoth-Mercury, 164;
as “Herad of Hades,” 244
Hermes Trismegistus, 26
herms, 244
Hermetica, 23, 25
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, xv, xvi, 3,
10, 14, 98, 217;
grade structure, 36
hermit, meaning ‘desert,’ 202
HERMIT, Yod, 201-205
Hesiod, 237
hexagram, 68, 94, 113, 146, 155, 223;
attribution of planets to, 89, 90 (Fig. 16)
282 The Qabalistic Tarot
HIEROPHANT, Vau, 220-225
Higher Self, 7, 77, 89, 139, 141, 142 (Fig. 29),
156, 169
HIGH PRIESTESS, Gimel, 234-239
Hod, Splendor, 103-106
Holy Guardian Angel, 7, 77, 115, 171, 177
Holy Ghost, 191
horse, 67, 214;
white, of Apollo, 157
Horus, 200;
child, 223;
eye of, 250;
gods, 249j
as Hru, “Great Angel of Tarot,” 248;
related to Ra, 249;
see: Harpocrates
house, Beth, 239-240
House of God, 168
Howe, Ellic, 1
Hru, see: Horus
I
I AO, ritual formula, 190
Ibis, eats eggs of snake and the dead, 75
imagination, Tzaddi, 162-3
imaginative visualization, 163
Inferior Mother, 117, 121
Inner Robe of Concealment, 204
“Invisible Sephira,” Daath, 77
Isis, 70, 75, 110, 161, 248
Isis-Nephthys, 153
J
jackal, 161, 193-194
Janus, Janus-Pater, 231-232
Joachim and Boaz, columns of Temple, 214
Judah, tribe of, 209
Judas Maccabeus, 169
JUDGMENT, Shin, 149-153
Jung, C.G., xvi, 4, 7, 183, 187, 207, 227, 238
Jupiter, 65, 78, 82, 92, 107, 112, 129, 160, 179,
193-194, 213, 220
JUSTICE, Lamed, 190-194
Justice, scale of, 194
K
Kabbalah Unveiled, 20, 22
Kabiri, 190
Kabiric death, 190
karma, 192, 219
karmic action, 47
karmic debts, 47
karmic forces. Tarot Trumps as, 50
Kelly, Edward, 25
Kephera, 159
Kerubic Emblems, 96
Kerubim, 95, 208, 213, 222
Kether, The Crown, 53-56
Khabs am Pekht, Konx om Pax, 205
King, Black, 219
King, Francis, 1, 181
Kings, 66-69
Kings of Edom, 169
Knight, Gareth, xvii, 134, 184, 192, 214, 235,
246
Knights Templar, 250
Krishna, 4, 169
Kundalini, 8, 109, 149, 152, 163, 203, 207
Kybalion, 5-6, 238
L
lamb, 229
Lamb of God, 16
Law, Scroll of, 238-239
Lamed, ox-goad, 190-191;
work, 190;
encompassing all Paths, 194
lamp, 107
lemniscus, 240
Leo, 48, 68, 86, 92, 95, 101, 131, 205-207
leopard, 74
Lesser Banishing Ritual, 252
L6vi, Eliphas, 6, 174, 196, 211, 213
Liber Al, 213
Libra, 65, 73, 75, 82, 96, 131, 190, 193
Life-death, Beth, 239
Light, Negative Limitless, 39
lightning, 168
Lightning flash, 169, 170
lilies, 59
Lilith, 219
lion, 206-207, 210;
becomes Lamb of Revelation, 209;
related to Saturn, 206;
Green Lion, 207;
Red Lion, 207;
Old Lion, 207
Living Creatures of Ezekial, 211
Living Water, 178
Logos, 167, 203, 206, 209, 223
lotus, 57, 72, 75, 96, 102
Lotus Wand, 86
love, formative energy of the Universe, 232
LOVERS, Zain, 215-220
Lucifer as Light-Bearer, 166
M
maat, 193
Maat as daughter of Ra, 193;
vulture of, 250
Macrocosm, 233
Macrocosm-Microcosm, 99, 226
Macroprosopus, 34, 77, 201, 221, 224, 231
Magician as Son and Word, 245
MAGICIAN, Beth, 239-245
Magical Image, 56
Magna Mater, 228
Magus, Francis Barrett, 244
Maier, Michael, 26
Major Arcana on the Tree of Life, 125-126 (Fig.
18)
Malkuth, Kingdom, 114-117
Marriage, Alchemical, 217;
Royal, of opposites, 219
Index 283
Mars, 48, 63, 73, 79, 83-84, 86-87, 100-101, 112,
118, 129, 153, 166, 168, 171, 173, 175,
185, 193-194
Mary, as Church, 71, 117
Masters, 80
“Master’s body,” according to Case, 150
Maternal letters, 125, 146;
on Tree of Life, 127 (Fig. 19)
Mathers, MacGregor, 3, 6, 11-12, 20, 23, 25, 28,
50, 69, 74, 76, 85, 129, 161, 175, 184,
190, 218, 229, 232
matter, as illusion, 174
Maya, 111
Mead, G.R.S., 225
Medici, Cosimo di, 23
meditation, 163-164
meditative exercises, 251
Medusa, 122, 217
memory, 236
menstrum of the Gluten, 181
Mercury, 48, 70, 72, 87, 93, 103-106, 116, 119,
129, 156, 164, 164, 172, 204, 214, 216,
218-219, 232, 239, 241-242 (Fig. 31);
God of trickery, 106;
encompasses all but Kether, 242 (Fig. 30);
Magician as, 234
Mercury, Sulphur, Salt, 74, 236;
attributed to Sephiroth, 200
Merkabah, 211
Merkabah Mysticism, 20
Metals of the Alchemists, 129
Michael, Archangel, Ruler of Solar Fire, 153
Microcosm, 233
Microprosopus, 34, 77, 109, 127, 158, 179-180,
201-202, 213, 218, 221, 224, 231-232, 248
Middle Pillar, cards on the, 138 (Fig. 26);
exercise, 34, 109, 185, 208
Minerva, 122
Minor Cards, on Tree of Life, 45 (Fig. 11);
and Court Cards attributed to zodiac, 51
(Fig. 15)
Minotaur, 224
Miracle of loaves and fishes, 184
Mirandola, Pico della, 24-25
mirth, Ayin, 172, 174
Moon, 48, 65, 70-71, 75, 79, 81, 94, 102, 104-105,
108, 110-111, 116, 122, 129, 153, 156,
158-162, 214, 216, 218-220, 222-223, 229,
232, 234-235, 237
Mosaic Law, 19
Moses, 173, 202, 203, 207, 208, 209;
on Sinai, 20;
as Thau-maturge, 203
Moses de Leon, 22
Mother, Bright Fertile and Dark Sterile, 70
Mother of Light, EMPRESS as, 231
Mother Mary, 184
mouth, Peh, 166-167, 170
movement, Nun, 181, 185
Mystic Circle, 117
N
nail, Vau, 220, 224
Names and Versicles, 104
Negative Limitless Light, 39
Neo-Pythagoreans, 133-134
Nephthys, 161
Neptune, 48, 64
Nereids, 217
Nereus, 217
Netzach, Victory, 98-101
Nines, 111-113
Nirvana, 146
Nuith, Sky Goddess, 153
o
Odic Force, 109, 175
Odin, 190, 214, 228
olive branch, 59
Olivet, Fabre de, 240
opposites, cards considered as, 137 (Fig. 25)
orb, 80;
inverted, 97;
of the Sun, 233;
of dominion, 229;
and cross, 228, 233
Orphic Egg, 204
Orphic Path, 105
Osiris, 91, 110, 184, 190, 203, 237, 248;
as a black God, 213
ostrich feathers of Maat, 194
O.T.O., 181
Ouspensky, P.D., 15, 55
Outer Robe of Concealment, 70, 204
Ovid, 232
Ox, Aleph, 245
P
Pagels, Elaine, 21
palm, 238;
of suffering, 59
Pan Pangenetor, 176
Papal cross, 222
“Parent of Faith,” Binah, 71
Pasiphae, 224
Path working, xvi, 35
Path of the Flaming Sword, 32 (Fig. 3), 78, 100,
127, 137, 182
Paths, secret, 37;
man in continuous state of travelling, 47
Pausanius, 160
Peace-war, Gimel, 234
peacock, 67
pearls, sacred to Venus, 233
perfume, 111
pelican, 233
Pentacle, magical symbol of Earth, 59
Pentateuch (first five books of Bible), 19, 240,
248
Pentagram, 85, 97, 213, 223;
attribution of Elements, 37 (Fig. 7);
inverted of Devil, 87
Persephone, 72
Perseus, 217, 219;
and Andromeda, 122
Personality, 77, 89, 139, 142 (Fig. 29) 154, 156,
166
284 The Qabalistic Tarot
Pharoah, 197
Philo, 203
Philosopher’s Stone, 173, 174, 181, 213
Philosophic Mercury, 129, 200, 204, 207, 226,
236, 240
phoenix, 67;
wand of, 86, 96
physiological changes in Adepthood, 156
pillars, 33;
of High Priestess, 238;
on Tree of Life, 33;
from Temple of Solomon, 237, also see:
Joachim and Boaz
Pisces, 67, 74, 107, 112, 118, 131, 159
planetary attributions to Tree of Life, 129, 130
(Fig. 21)
Plato, 23, 203;
archetypes, 79
Platonic Academy, 23
Pluto, 48
point, 43, 53, 54
Pomegranates, 238;
fruit of Persephone, 72
Pontifex, Hierophant as “Bridgemaker,” 221
Pope, 222; Joan, 239
power-servitude, Tau, 145
Priapus, 175
Prima Materia, 236, 241
Primal Will, 243
Primum Mobile, 246
Princes, 94-97
Princesses, 120-123
Prop, Samekh, 176-177
psychokinesis, 110
Ptolemy, system of Decans, 47;
Centiloquy, 90
Purgatory, 192
putrifaction, 183-185
pyramid, 74, 80;
Great, 197
Pythagoras, 173
Q
Qlippoth, 55, 170
Queen, White, 219
Queens, 74-76
R
Ra, Sun God, 193
rainbow, 153, 180
ram, 122;
of Aries, 229;
horn, 175
red cross, 60;
banner, 153
redemption and fall, 91
Red Lion, 180
red tincture of Alchemists, 229
Regardie, Francis Israel, xvi, 8, 12, 13, 50, 252
Reichanbach, Baron von, 109
Reuchlin, Johannes, 24
Rich Fisherman, Parsifal, 250
riches-poverty, Caph, 195
Rising on the Planes, 116
ritual grades, 35-36
Four Rivers of Paradise, 153, 211
Root Matter, 236
rose, 60, 65, 75, 100, 102, 113, 157, 185;
meaning freedom from lower desire, 250
Rose Cross, 94, 157;
of 49 petals, 94
Rose Cross Lamen, 57, 91
Rosencreutz, Christian, 26, 189
Rosenroth, Knorr von, 22
ROTA, TARO, TORA, ORAT, 186, 238
rotation, 197
s
Sacrificed Gods, 91
Sagittarius, 67, 76, 106, 112, 118, 131, 176-177,
179
Salamanders, 116
Salt, Alchemical, EMPRESS as, 233-234;
Chokmah as, 234
Salt, Sulphur, Mercury, 200
Sammadhi, 188
Samael, Ruler of Volcanic Fire, 153
sandals. 111
Sangrael Foundaton, 14
Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, 74, 200
Saturn, 36 (Fig. 6), 48, 61, 69, 70, 73, 86, 103,
107, 118, 129, 145, 148, 164, 166, 183,
193, 206;
devours its children, 62
scales of Justice, 193
scarabaeus (dung beetle), 159
Scarlet Woman, 209, 224
sceptre, 80
Scholem, Gershom, 1, 5, 21, 211
Scorpio, 66, 86, 96, 102, 131, 181, 184-185
scorpion, 184
scourge, 85
Secret Chiefs, 11, 188
Secret Paths, 37 (Fig. 8)
Sepher Yetzirah, 9, 21, 29-30, 125, 131, 146-147,
150, 155, 159, 179, 183, 185, 201, 203,
206, 222, 229
Seraphim, 152
serpent, 96, 109, 169, 181, 184-185, 190, 202, 204,
208, 218, 241;
with tail in its mouth, see: Uroboros;
Nechesh or Leviathon, 209;
Set as, related to Saturn, Satan and
Bahomet, 250
Sevens, 101-103
Seven Palaces of Assiah, 146
sexual love, Yod, 201-202
Shahn, Ben, 44
Shemhamaphoresch, 72;
Names of God, 148
sight, Heh, 225, 228
Signs of Zodiac on Tree of Life, 131, 132 (Fig.
22 )
silence, sign of, 249
Simon Magus and Simonian Gnostics, 203
Simon and Sperling, translators of Zohar, 22
Sixes, 92-94
Index 285
skeleton, 184;
mounted and in armor, 185
skrying, 251
sleep, Qoph, 158, 162
smell, Zain, 215, 218
Smith, Pamela Colman, 13-14
snake, Teth, 205-206
Solar Logos, 163, see: Logos
Solar and Lunar currents, 216
Solomon, 173
solve et coagula, Alchemical formula, 218
spear, 85
speach, Cheth, 210
Sphinx, 197, 198, 214;
Greek form of, 197;
Oedipus and, 197;
as synthesis of Elemental Forces, 197
Spiritual Self, 54, 77, 139, 141, 142 (Fig. 29)
St. John of the Cross, 61, 185, 188, 235
St. Theresa, 109, 178
stag, 69
Star, evening, 166
STAR, Tzaddi, 162-168
Steiner, Rudolph, 26
“Stele of Revealing,” 153, 209
Stella Maris, 184
Stella Matutina, 13
Stoics, 203
Stone of Adam, 166
STRENGTH, Teth, 205-210
Sulphur, EMPEROR as, 234;
Binah as, 234
Sulphur, Salt, Mercury, 226
Sun, subordinate to Moon, 214
SUN, Resh, 154
Sun, 48, 71, 79, 83, 88-89, 108, 111, 116, 119, 129,
153-157, 159,163-165, 171, 180-181,
185, 193, 207, 209, 214-220, 222, 225,
228-229, 232, 248
sunflowers, 157
Supernal Father, 61
Supernal Mother, 117
Supernal Triangle, 32
swan, 121
swastica or gammadion, 55, 146, 187, 223
sword, 85, 194, 228;
of Geburah, 192;
of good or evil, 59;
Zain, 215, 218
Sylphs, 116
T
taste, Teth, 205-206
Tattvas, 88, 99, 116, 213
Tau cross, 189-190
Taurus, 68, 87, 94, 97, 103, 131, 157, 211, 220-
221, 223
teaching, through The HIEROPHANT, 221
TEMPERANCE, Samekh, 176-181
Temple of Solomon, 167
Tens, 117-120
Tetragrammaton, 39
Thoth, 75, 104, 241
Threes, 71-4
tiger, 121, 249
Tiphareth, Beauty, 88-91
Titans, 222
Thinking Principle, 187
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, 21, 29, 139, 145,
150, 155, 160, 184, 187, 211, 223
Thoth, 193;
as inventor of writing, 199
Throne 212;
mysticism, 211
Tolkein, J.R.R., 2
tooth, Shin, 149, 152
Torah, 19
tortoise, Hindu with elephant on back, 122
torch, inverted of Devil, 174-175
TOWER, Peh, 166-172
tower of Babel, 169;
as phallus, 171
Tree of Life, 29, 34;
triangles on, 32 (Fig. 3), 98;
three-dimensional, 33, 213
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, 164-165
(Fig. 30), 217
triangle, 44;
of Art, 117
Trithemius, Abbot, 11, 221
turtle, 121
Twos, 63-66
Typhon, 199;
father of Sphinx, 200;
as Set, 200
u
Undines, 116
Unicursal Hexigram, 38 (Fig. 8)
Universal Teacher, HIEROPHANT as, 222
UNIVERSE, Tau, 145-149
“Upper Room,” 134
uraeus serpent, 194
Uranus, 48, 186
uroboros, 65, 240
V
Valentinus, Basilius, 218
veil, of the Temple, 238;
of the Abyss, 229;
of High Priestess, 236
Venus, 48, 58, 64-65, 70, 80, 84-85, 87, 98, 99-100
(Fig. 17), 101, 103, 105, 113, 116, 129,
166, 168, 193-194, 230, 232-233, 250;
symbol of, encompassing all Sephiroth,
99, 100 (Fig. 17), 193, 232
vesica piscis, 194
vibration, 179;
first, 242;
of God Name, 167;
rates of, 226, 236;
words as, 247
virgin birth, 231
Virgin Map', 231
virgin’s milk, fed to Stone, 238
Virgo, 68, 75, 108, 113, 119, 131, 201, 204
Virtues and Liberal Arts, 2
286 The Qabalistic Tarot
w
Waite, Arthur Edward, 13-14
Walker, D.P., 1
wand, of Golden Dawn Chief, 86, 176
water, Mem, maternal letter, 186;
High Priestess as source of, 235
weighing of souls, 199
Westcott, William Wynn, 11, 28, 135
wheel, of Life, iconography of, 199;
of birth, death and rebirth, 196
WHEEL OF FORTUNE, Caph, 195-201
White Lion, 180
Whore of Babylon, 209
window, Heh, 225
Wirth, Oswald, Tarot designs, 212
wisdom-folly, Daleth, 230
Wise Old Man, archetype, 207
wolf, 161, 249;
Fenris, which devoured Odin, 249
Words of Power, 167
Y
Yates, Frances, 1
Yeats, W.B., 11
Yesod, Foundation, 108-111
Young, Ella, 12-13
z
Zodiac, 47, 59, 61, 148, 157, 196, 219, 220-222
Zohar, 9, 22, 27, 164, 169, 206, 225, 240, 246,
247, 248
zero, as fertile nothingness, 247
Zeus Arrhenothelus, 250
